Delta APC: SGF convened meeting was a failed coup- Hon. Edoja

By Onitsha Shedrack, —-Delta—- October 18^th, 2016 —————

A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Delta State, Hon. Solomon Edoja has described as a failed coup, the recently held Delta APC stakeholder’s meeting, convened by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Engr. Babachir Lawal.

It will be recalled that SGF while speaking at a meeting he convened with factional leaders of the party in the conference room of the SGF Office in Abuja, last week, lashed out at the national leadership of the party for its tactlessness and corruption in resolving the crisis in the party.

According to media report, the South-South Chairman of the party, Chief Hilliard Eta, the Delta state Chairman Prophet Erue Jones and members of the state executives and the party’s 2015 governorship candidate, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor boycotted the meeting.

Reacting to the development, Hon. Edoja who was a former member of the House of representative noted that the meeting was not an APC meeting; hence key Leaders of the party were not invited.

According to him, “Olorogun O’tega Emerhor and Prophet Jones Erue cannot and would not be in such meeting for obvious reasons. Any gathering that does not emanate from the APC leadership hierarchy and party organs are mere gatherings of like minds, which is their right.

He added that, “I was told that it was a gathering of political mercenaries and their sympathisers, who organised a failed coup to topple the political leadership of APC in Delta state. They have since been rounded up and their case of usurpation is now before the National Working Committee of the party for final verdict.

“Their action is a case of a drowning man trying to hold on to a straw for survival.  How do you explain a man whose decision is before a competent body, such as the National working committee, assumed that he was not going to secure justice and wants our amiable Secretary to the Government of the Federation, to usurp the function of the National working committee and commit political Harakiri?

He stated further that, “the SGF is too busy that he has not find time to attend myriads of fraudulent allegations bothering on Corruption, over the handling of the Internal Displaced Persons (IDP) in the North East by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

“I will appeal to all party members to leave SGF out of these coup plotters and their sympathisers for him to concentrate on his core duties.  The SGF is the engine room of Government and has no time in political partisan meddlesomeness.”

He added that as the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu is free to organise a meeting of any type in his house and anybody, be it PDP or APC, so invited, is free to attend as guaranteed under section 36 of the 1999 constitution as amended.