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The Prophet Jones Erue faction of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Delta State has disowned the Coalition of Delta APC Support Groups and described their call on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe Chief Great Ogboru for an alleged mismanagement of N3b released to him to prosecute the just concluded general elections in the state for the party as the unfounded allegations by blackmailers.

The APC factional publicity secretary in the state, Barrister Sylvester Imonina dismissing the allegations against Ogboru as the figment of the imagination of sponsored political jobbers said in a statement today, March 17, 2019 that there is no person by the name Prince Daniel Ekiugbo known to the APC.

The full text of Imonina’s statement reads:

17th March, 2019.

PRESS STATEMENT.

RE: BEING TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE ORGANIZED BY THE COALITION OF DELTA APC SUPPORT GROUPS ON THE OUTCOME OF THE JUST-CONCLUDED 2019 GENERAL ELECTIONS.- THIS IS BLACKMAIL FROM POLITICAL “JOBBERS”.

The attention of the All Progressives Congress, Delta State, have been drawn to a figment of imagination/sponsored unfounded allegations (press statement) made by one Prince Daniel Ekiugbo and his cotravelers. The Party would not have bothered itself to respond to such hotchpotch of blackmail/deceit, but when a lie is constantly peddled and same is not challenged, it begins to wear a toga of truth, hence this response to correct the wrong impression the allegations could create on the minds of some gullible members of the public.

Firstly, from enquiries made by the Party, there is no person by the name, Prince Daniel Ekiugbo who is a registered member of our great Party. It is our belief that the said name is a pseudo name used by a group of mischief makers and blackmailers from within and outside the Party to foment trouble in order to create political instability in APC, Delta State, the feathering of their selfish and evil agenda.

Secondly, the Party took it upon itself to find out from members of the Press if there was any press conference made by the said Daniel Ekiugbo, attended by them, but all the reputable Media Houses informed the Party that there was nothing of such to their knowledge. The above findings then reinforced our belief that the mischief maker and his partners in act of blackmail sat in the comfort of their bedroom where the said statement was dished out to members of the public through the social media.

Information available to the Party says that in the year 2015, after the general elections of that year, the said Prince Daniel Ekiugbo came from nowhere and started blackmailing some of the Leaders of the Party as at then. After a while, he vanished into thin air, probably after he had gotten what he wanted and rewarded by his sponsor(s). It was there not a surprise to the Party, hearing that Daniel Ekiugbo has resurfaced from nowhere to do what he is known for- Blackmail!

Now, coming to the allegations made by the said Daniel Ekiugbo, we want to state that the Gubernatorial Candidate of our great Party, Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru has many aides who shall respond to Daniel Ekiugbo wild allegations as they concerned Chief Great Ogboru. However, we want to state as follows:
1) Assuming without conceding that there was a budget or approval of the sum of Three Billion Naira to prosecute 2019 gubernatorial election in Delta State, we state that there is a wide gulf between budgeting/approval on one hand and release of the monies budgeted/approved on the second hand. Having said that, we state unequivocally that there is no such budget/approval of such amount of monies to prosecute election in Delta State nor was such monies released to Chief Great Ogboru or the Party. It is a known fact that His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari who is the Leader of our great Party in Nigeria will never countenance that. Students of History could remember that the President during the build-up to the 2019 elections told leaders of our Party that there was no money from the Presidency to prosecute any election. In the same vein, the National Chairman of our Party who is known for his adherence to the rules of the Party could not have released such amount of money to Chief Great Ogboru or the Party at the State Level. If there is such money in the kitty of the Party at the National level, same is part of the Commonwealth of the Party (all APC members in Nigeria) that cannot be given to Chief Great Ogboru or APC Delta State. It is therefore preposterous for anyone to raise such frivolous allegations. More worrisome is the fact that those who intentionally did not campaign for the Party in the just concluded elections or contributed any meaningful finances to the Party for the prosecution of elections in Delta State, are now the ones sponsoring Daniel Ekiugbo to bring the hard-earned name of Chief Great Ogboru, well-meaning Leaders of the Party and the Party SWC, led by Prophet Jones Ode Erue to disrepute for political reasons. Well, they failed in the past and they will continue to fail in their evil machinations.

(2) On the issue of hijacked of APC Delta State structure, by Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru and Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, we state that same only exist in the imagination of Emissaries of Rift who do not wish APC well in Delta State. As a matter of fact, the majority of those occupying different Party’s structures (positions) from the State level down to unit levels are the foundation members of the Party. It is an indisputable fact that more than ninety (90) per cent of the Party Executive at all levels of the Party in Delta State are foundation members while the remaining ten per cent (10) was/is by those who joined the Party between 2015 and early 2016. Therefore, the allegation of the hijack of Party structure is another lie from the pit of hell Fire.

(3) Concerning the issue of factionalization of the Party, it is a known fact that before Chief Great Ogboru, Sen. Omo-Agege and other well-meaning Deltans joined the Party, there were factions in the Party in Delta State. There was a faction led by Chief O’tega Emerhor, later christened, Mainstream Delta APC (MDA), a faction led by Late Sen. F.S. Okpozo, later called, Consolidated Delta APC (CDA) whose motto was/is “no man is God” because of the way those on the other side of the divide were arrogating so much powers to themselves as at them! There were other splinter groups within APC, Delta State, besides the above mentioned major groups, before Chief Great Ogboru and his followers massively decamped to APC. The error of judgement or miscalculation of some of the so-called “political demagogues” in APC, before Chief Ogboru and other people from different political backgrounds, joined the Party, was that they thought the Party was still a miniature political Party which they could dictate how it should be managed! They forgot that in History, there is a saying that “no Empire last forever”.

(4) Chief Great Ogboru, State SWC and other leaders of thought of the Party made concerted effort to unite the Party. The State Working Committee (SWC) set up a Reconciliation Committee to reach out to aggrieved members. All the key players and majority of the aggrieved persons were reached by the Reconciliation Committee. Besides the above, the National Working Committee of the Party also set up a Reconciliation Committee to reach out to those who were yet to put aside their personal interest, and the Committee did reach them. In addition to the above steps of the Party, the Presidency through the office of Mr. Vice President, waded into APC, Delta State, stage-managed crises. Based on the advice of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, there was a sharing formula agreed upon by the two contending parties as it were. However, a group that queued behind MDA led by Chief Hyacinth Enuha opted out of the settlement on the ground that their interest was not and could not be protected by MDA. The Leader of that group, Chief Hyacinth Enuha demanded that CDA should be negotiated with differently from MDA and because of the proximity of the action of CDA to the 2019 elections, there was no time to start the discussion all over. Hence, the position of the Party that despite the political leanings of members, they should still work for all the Party’s Candidates. Though, information before the Party suggests that more than ninety (90) per cent of those against the Party’s structure and the Candidates of the Party worked against the Candidates of the Party except the Presidential Candidate.

(5) It is on record that the only voice of opposition in Delta State since 2003 till date is Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru. Deltans know, and the majority of those who contested for the Governorship position in the past and immediate past knew that they were Pretenders, not Contenders. Meanwhile, for the sake of securing maximum votes from Deltans, Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru, the Party SWC led by Jones Erue and well meaning members of the Party cross every nooks and cranny of Delta State. But those who wanted the Party to fail at all cost refused to join the campaigns of the Party. Rather, they resorted to playing ethnic cards and incitement of their followers and some members of the public against our Candidates. That is, their position was/is liken to playing the role of “a Bull in China shop”, rather than see the Party succeed. Till date, they are still determined to cause more troubles for the Party at the State level for their ulterior motives which the PDP is fueling through different channels and Characters.

(6) Presently, the so-called “aggrieved members” who defied the directive/advice of Mr. Vice President and the NWC of our great Party, have around twenty cases in different Courts in Nigeria, seeking for the destruction of the body and soul of APC in Delta. Despite all laudable steps taken by the Party, they refused to listen to the voice of reason. The Party repeats for the sake of emphasis that the political jobbers in APC in Delta are those who do not want the Party to be together as one entity. Their failure stares at them!

The party is not unaware of the fact that some centrifugal elements in APC, Delta State are jostling for political appointments and re-appointment at the National level, hence their present political mudslinging, onslaught and shenanigans. They have deployed all arsenals of political warfare to paint genuine Leaders and Followers of the Party in a bad light. With the majority of the Party members on the side of the present SWC, they shall fail, as they had always failed.

The Party has consulted widely and no one is afraid of the affairs/monies accruing to the Party being looked into by any authority. The Party shall prevail.

Meanwhile, the Party once again use this opportunity to thank Deltans for voting massively for APC in the recent elections. The Party is presently putting together all evidence to kick out PDP in Delta State. We, therefore, urge all Deltans to keep hope alive. The mandate given to APC during the recently conducted elections in Delta State shall be reclaimed through the due process of law. The toxic votes and manipulations of PDP in connivance with some INEC Staff/merchants and some persons who put on uniforms on the day of election shall fall like a pack of cards.

THE TIME OF DELTA PDP AND ITS COHORTS IN APC IS UP.

APC, Change!
APC, Progress!!
APC, A New Delta!!!

Signed:

Barr. Ogheneluemu Sylvester Imonina,
Publicity Secretary, APC, Delta State.