Accord sacks ex Jonathan’s spokesman

By Henrietta Attah

The Accord party yesterday expelled the former Special Assistant to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyen Okupe, over alleged anti-party activities, which the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party said had caused chaos and anarchy in the party.
Briefing journalists yesterday at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, the National Secretary of the party, Abiola Ajaja, said the party took the decision after they invited Okupe severally and he declined to honour the invitation and refused also to desist from such actions.
She said that the party NEC had been on the issue of Okupe’s disobedience to the party for a long time, adding that yesterday, the people that agreed that he should be sacked outnumbered those who wanted him to be cautioned.
“The third issue we deliberated was that of Doyen Okupe, who has been expelled from our party on grounds of anti-party activity. We have been on it for a very long time, he had been invited severally but he refused to come, and still he did not desist from his anti-party activity which has caused chaos and anarchy in the party.
“So, we have actually agreed today through vote, that he should be expelled. The people that supported his expulsion outnumbered the number of those who wanted him to be cautioned. Nine voted that he should be expelled, while four voted that he should be cautioned, and one absented. We are also hopeful of having a presidential candidate, by the grace of God we shall have”, she said.
Speaking further, the Accord scribe disclosed that during the NEC deliberations, they considered the possibility of waving the nomination and expression of interest fees for women, adding that the NEC also resolved to cut the nomination and expression of interest fees by fifty percent for youths.
“The outcome is very important and interesting, we have deliberated on so many issues, but the most interesting party of it is that we are considering waiving all the payments for women, we are trying to encourage women to come into our party by canceling all the money they are supposed to pay including expression of interest and nomination fees. Women who are ready to come now will come and contest without paying a kobo.
“Secondly, we deliberated on the not too young to run law passed by the National Aassembly for the youths, so we have decided to bring them on board, because Accord is for women, Accord is for youths, starting from eighteen years to thirty five.
“The youths who want to come and join us to contest the election will pay half of the price of whatever the fee is for the nomination and expression of interest form. They will pay half to the party in order to encourage them”, she said.