We want you out, S/South APC Leaders to Oshiomhole, Endorses NEC Meeting

The leaders also expressed their total support for the National Working Committee (NEC) meeting slated for 17th of March as called for by the acting national secretary, Chief Victor Giadom.

Speaking on behalf of the South-south APC leaders Forum at a news conference in Abuja, yesterday, Chief Ray Morphy and Dr. Bruce Ugbode, described Hilliard Eta's position as his personal opinion on the leadership crisis facing the party.

Chief Murphy, who hails from Cross River State, said the South-south national vice chairman, Eta issued a statement without holding a meeting or consulting with anybody.

"We read in the papers today about some people saying that the entire South-south is with Oshiomhole. No, that is not correct. That is the kind of dictatorial policy they have been operating. That is not correct. We are not happy with him. We certainly are not satisfied with what is going on in the last elections that we took part in; there were low hanging fruits. Akwa Ibom was there.

"Delta and Cross River states were there and many other places. We lost so many states just like Zamfara and others because of the inability of the people who run the party to carry along other people. Primaries were shoddy. Credible people who are capable of winning lections were shut out due to shoddy primaries.

"We support those who want o renew the party. We want a situation where this party gets a new breathe of life.

"This is not a matter of 2023 as my brother Hilliard Eta has said. It is about the survival of the party. Can you imagine a party where somebody sat down and suspended top officials? That is why we have this vacuum.

"We support the call for the NEC by the Acting Secretary, Giadom because that is the only way we can give opportunity to the party to regain itself. We ask our people all over the country to lend their support for that meeting. When we have that meeting, we can now have the opportunity to renew this party and we call on all leaders and members of the party to support this NEC meeting."

Morphy said as citizens of the South-south, "We know that South-south people are people of excellence and we know that we can do better. As a matter of fact, as you know, there are thousands of very eminently qualified indigenes of the region in APC who can discharge these functions in a very creditable manner.

"Since our brother took over from our elder brother, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, it has been topsy-turvy. One crisis after the other generated by the simple inability to run a party with diplomacy, with tact. The highest levels of leadership requires some ability to adumbrate what you say, ability to respect people's views and opinions. It is not a pugilistic activity to be national chairman of a political party and we are extremely unsatisfied, dissatisfied with the way he has carried on in the last two years since he became our national chairman and we lend ourselves seriously with the activities of those who suspended him right from his ward because he has not been carrying on the way we sent him."

Speaking on the NEC meeting, Morphy said because of the vacancies that exist in the party, Giadom is the right person to convene a meeting.

"It is in the interest of the party to put the Oshiomhole era behind it and move on. Practically everybody from the South-South is calling for the renewal of the party," he added.