All Progressives Congress (APC) Secretariat in Asaba, Delta State, was like a boxing arena on Wednesday, as factions loyal to Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege and Great Ogboru engaged in a free-for-all over alleged illegal removal of some party ward chairmen.
Deputy Chief of Staff to Omo-Agege, Alex Onwuadimu, APC Chairman in Oshimili South Council, Ben Onwuka and other party faithful were beaten up, while some sustained various injuries.
However, Omo-Agege and Caretaker Committee Chairman, Jones Erue, escaped through the back door from the Secretariat on Anwai Road, as the fight became uncontrollable, while those that were beaten up had their attires torn and ran away half-naked.
Party members loyal to Ogboru, who were angry with Erue for abandoning the “consent judgment list” from the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, which was also upheld by the Supreme Court, called for Erue’s removal.
They insisted that Erue should be removed before “he kills APC in Delta State.”
Ogboru’s loyalists, who were disturbed over the actions of the Omo-Agege faction and could no longer tolerate their misdeeds, engaged in a fight, which resulted in the stoppage of the re-registration exercise.
The Guardian learnt that Ogboru had petitioned the national leadership of the party calling for Erue’s removal.
Shortly after the fight, Onwuka, said he was duly elected, but lamented that opposition forces put the names of those who did attend congress.
“Some of us see the action as illegal and a revolt and that is what caused the fight. They should do the right thing, because this is a political party and not a personal party. I couldn’t bear it, so I have to fight it out with them,” he said.
Continuing, he said: All the people calling themselves leaders do not have any background, instead of showing what makes them leaders, they are only there to shortchange people and not canvassing for people to join in the registration.
“What happened at the party secretariat was a fight for illegality in the sense that Erue and his cohorts removed the names of chairmen who were duly elected and replaced them with his loyalists who are not part faithful.”
