Osakhare Erese, Asaba
Two parallel chairmen yesterday emerged in Delta State Labour Party (LP) following the sack of the former state chairman, Tony Ezeagwu, at the Special National Convention of the party and the inauguration of a Caretaker Committee to fill the vacuum.
This development therefore triggered crisis in the state chapter of the party following the immediate swearing in of Comrade Emeka Nkwoala, as the chairman of the caretaker committee, which is claiming the soul of the party in the state.
While Nkwoala name was sent to the state Commissioner of Police, Zanna Ibrahim and the Director of the Department of Security (DSS) in the state as the authentic chairman of the party in the state, the sacked Ezeagwu had insisted that he remained the party chairman, describing the action of the national body as “illegal”.
But the party, in a letter signed by the Acting National Secretary, Julius Abure, said until the state congress is conducted within 90 days to elect new State Working Committee (SWC), the activities of the party rest squarely on the Caretaker Committee.
The National Youth Leader of the party, Andrew Ukpebitere, who represented the new National Chairman, Michael Omotosho, during the inauguration of the committee in Asaba yesterday, warned Ezeagwu to stop parading himself as the state chairman.
Instead, Ukpebitere urged Ezeagwu to summit himself to the disciplinary committee that was set up to try his anti-party activities and other allegations proffered against him or risk being arrested.
He said, “Ezeagwu’s constitutional three year tenure has since elapsed. INEC participated in the Special National Convention. The dissolution also affected the executives of the party in Anambra and Rivers states. He will be arrested in accordance with the law if he desists from parading himself.”
He also said the former National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abdulkareem Sallam, who was accused of swindling the party of N1.3 billion, will also face the disciplinary panel.
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