Anambra State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday announced the suspension of its state caretaker chairman, Chief Basil Ejidike.
The party cited insubordination and disrespect to the office of President Muhammadu Buhari, as reasons for the suspension.
Spokesperson of the committee and former Chief Whip of Anambra State House of Assembly, Barr Uchenna Okonkwo Okom in a briefing in Awka, said the decision was part of the resolution of state congress of all leaders and stakeholders to reposition the party.
He said details of the reasons for their actions were contained in a concise petition submitted to the party’s national leadership for justice to be done.
Reading out the resolution titled, “Vote of No Confidence/Suspension from Office of Mr. Basil Ejidike, the Caretaker Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Anambra state chapter,” Okom accused Ejidike of refusal to convene State Executive Committee or Congress meeting despite repeated statutory demands to that effect as stipulated by the party.
“That Mr Basil Ejidike be and is hereby suspended forthwith from office as the Caretaker Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State, pending his appearance before a Disciplinary/ Fact-Finding Committee of the Party.
“That the next most senior available official of the Party in the State is mandated to convene an emergency meeting of the State Executive Committee in consultation with the Leader of the Party in Anambra State, His Excellency, Dr Chris Ngige within the next 14 days from the date hereof, to discuss the modalities for strengthening and repositioning the All Progressives Congress (APC) and for moving the Party forward in Anambra State.
“That Mr Basil Ejidike shall be referred to the Disciplinary/Fact-Finding Committee of the Party in the State as prescribed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Constitution to answer to charges of abuse of power and office, diversion and conversion of party property, flagrant sabotage, subversion and breach of the Party’s Constitution, insubordination and disrespect to the Office and Person of The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, embezzlement and misappropriation of Party’s funds, among other charges.
“That as required by the Party’s Constitution, these Resolutions shall be immediately transmitted to the National Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), for immediate implementation.
“We’re here to notify the whole world of change of baton that has taken place in the party so that unsuspecting members of the public will not continue to deal with the wrong persons,” he said.
Okonkwo-Okom noted that one of the many sins of Ejidike was to stand at loggerheads with President Buhari, on the conduct of the 2021 Anambra State Governorship election, held earlier in November.
He said it was most disrespectful that when the President who is the leader of the party had commended the conduct of the exercise and congratulated the winner, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the state chairman was convoking a protest against the exercise.
“This is an election that stands as a legacy of Buhari regime, having been adjudged to have been conducted in the most peaceful and transparent manner and the state APC chairman is discrediting the process.
“This is sabotage on the most cherished legacy Mr President has entrenched.
“That’s unacceptable,” he said.
However, when contacted, Chief Ejidike dismissed the suspension as laughable, saying those who spoke to reporters were not members of the State Executive Committee of the party.
He added that some of them left the party shortly after the primary election, and therefore do not have any locus to have suspended him.
“Those people are not members our party.
“They are renegades who left the party after our primaries in June.
“They can’t suspend me.
“As I’m talking to you, I’m at the national secretariat of our party in Abuja, so their claim is laughable.
“What is the position of the person that convened the meeting that sacked me? “They are trying to see if they can instigate crisis in our party; that is their only interest,” Ejidike concluded.
