Juju scare at Delta APGA over chairmanship tussle, alleged fraud

Leadership crisis and alleged fraud currently rocking the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Party Delta State may have deepened following the discovery of fetish materials found at the corridor of the party secretariat last Monday.

It was gathered that the fetish materials were tied to three different broom sticks which littered the corridor leading to the Chairman’s office; a situation that attracted a large crowd of persons to the scene.

However, an eye witness Jombo Osakwe who spoke to our reporter said; “Since the chairmanship tussle they have been series of threat to life and we were shocked to discover the fetish materials on Monday morning at the corridor leading to the Chairman’s office, this attracted a large crowd of people until fire was set on the materials, I do not know the basis of the tussle, APGA is just going in Delta State now they are now fighting one another with juju”.

Expectedly, the crisis rocking the APGA in Delta State, the leadership of the party has suspended the state chairman, Mr. Afamefune Enemekwu, indefinitely over alleged gross misconduct.

Flowing from this development, the party’s leadership unanimously appointed Mr. Emmanuel Ibodor to serve as its acting chairman, pending the report of a committee set up by the party to investigate the allegations leveled against Afamefune.

This resolution was reached in Ozoro, headquarters of Isoko North Local Government Area of the state during an enlarged meeting of the party after the leadership allegedly failed to gain entry into the party’s state secretariat in Asaba, the state capital.

The meeting had in attendance, executives of the party, party faithful, leaders, local government area chairman of the party, ward chairman, youths and women who came from the 25 local government areas to chart a way forward.

Prior to this meeting, the local government chairman of the party on February 6, 2018, had in a meeting, having x-rayed the activities of the chairman over the past 10 months, passed a vote of no confidence on the suspended chairman.

The allegations that gave rise to the vote of no confidence against him included his alleged discrimination against other party candidates, who had to pay mandatory fees to secure the party’s nomination form.

It was also alleged that, while the Bomadi chairmanship candidate was given nomination form at no cost, that the state chairman embezzled N40,000 meant for erecting a sign post of APGA of Asaba, the state capital, he was unable to account for N500,000 for the party’s office rent in Asaba and that he seems to be discouraging new members from joining the party.

Other allegations are “That the state chairman refused to give membership card to new members in Ughelli North, even after paying for the membership card; rather he refunded the money to the new members; that the state chairman converted APGA property for personal use among others”.

In view of these allegations, the state chairman was allegedly suspended and an investigative committee was said to have been set up to investigate his activities, the immediate institution of policy guidelines to empower local government area leadership in order to engender growth and development of the party in the state and a call on the national leadership to act with a view to uphold the constitution of the party.

Out of the 76 executives of the party in the state, 52 approved his suspension in accordance with the constitutional provision, leading to his suspension.

Speaking to our reporter at the end of the meeting, the Acting Chairman, Mr. Emmanuel Ibodor, however advised members of the public not to have any dealings with the suspended chairman, warning that anybody who deals with him on behalf of the party would be doing so at his/her own risk.

He said, inter-alia: “Parliamentary procedures were duly followed before his suspension. We did advertise notice of meeting in the newspaper as requested by the constitution before this meeting; a motion for his suspension was moved by Ifeanyi Osanekwu, the state Youth Leader and seconded by Mr. Seipulou Joe.

In his defence, the embattled state chairman, Mr. Afamefune Enemekwu told our reporter; “They don’t have the right to suspend the state chairman because the constitution states that a convention will be conveyed specifically for the suspension of the state chairman.

“A state convention, not just few persons, must be convened to suspend a state chairman. If I may ask, how many persons were there before they reached this resolution? In fact, it is just a plot by some persons to destabilize the party, I remain the state chairman,” he said.

On juju substance found at the secretarial the embattled chairman told our reporter “I am not aware of any juju substance, but I know my God will disgrace them, especially those fighting me, they can never known peace”.