By Ugochukwu Alaribe

UMUAHIA-Youth leaders of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Abia state, at the weekend, attacked a state meeting of the party allegedly convened by some suspended officials of the party in Umuahia.

Vanguard gathered that the meeting had hardly commenced when the youths invaded the venue asking about the absence of the state chairman of the party,Mr. Don Norman Obinna, from the meeting.Trouble started at the meeting when the suspended state secretary of the Pastor Uche Ndom and the national welfare officer of the party,Mr. Nkem Ukandu, told the youths that Obinna was suspended from the party.

Angered by the response, the youth leaders assaulted the suspended party secretary and tore his clothes while the national welfare officer scampered out of the hall before the irate youth leaders got to him.

The suspended party secretary was said to have escaped lynching as the youths were only stopped from chasing by the appeals from sympathizers.

Before the invasion,the youths were heard chanting songs such as ‘Don Norman Obinna cannot sacrifice and build the party and another person will come to take over ”, we can’t tolerate this injustice’, Don Norman Obinna is the authentic state chairman of the party’; ‘We can’t tolerate this injustice from one senator ‘,among others.

One of the youth leaders identified as Uche, said;The youths are angry at the injustice meted to the chairman of the party,Don Norman Obinna. They said he has built the party and be allowed to enjoy the fruits of his labor. You heard them accusing a Senator of being behind the plot to hijack the party from Don Norman Obinna.”

Contacted,the state chairman of the party,Mr. Don Norman Obinna, said he was not aware of any state meeting of the ADC , adding that he’s the only one empowered by the constitution of the party to convene meetings.

He assured that there is no crisis in ADC, but only a gathering of people who are being sponsored to hijack the party ,but won’t succeed.

Efforts to reach the suspended state secretary,Pastor Uche Ndom or the National welfare officer of the party,Nkem Ukandu,was unsuccessful,as their mobile numbers, stated that it was switched off,as at the time of filing this report. (Vanguard)