THE lack of respect for the rule of law is the greatest setback to the growth and progress of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Delta State.
This was the observation of a rights activist and chieftain of APC in Delta State, Mr Robinson Ariyo, during a chat with journalists on Tuesday in Warri, Delta State.
He said the party’s constitution was superior to any individual or a cartel within the party and should be treated so.
Ariyo, who bemoaned the perennial crisis rocking the party in the state, said until the respect for the rule of law is restored in the internal workings of the party, winning elections in 2019 general elections might be a mirage.
He decried a situation whereby a party, touted as progressive, would allow a group of individuals to hijack it and tear the party apart.
According to him, Prophet Jones Erue-led executive committee was declared illegal by a Federal High Court of Justice because the congress that brought it forth was not organised in tandem with the party’s constitution and guidelines for conducting congresses.
“Okotie-Eboh, who was aggrieved during the congress, dragged the present executive to court and defeated the state executive.
“Expectedly, the person who judgement was given in his favour, should be allowed to take over leadership.
“But instead of the National Working Committee of the party to tread the path of honour, at least by trying to put in place a caretaker committee with a view to stabilising the state chapter of the party, so that eventually we can proceed on a legal ground, a few members of the National Working Committee decided to take sides with those that lost in the court case, and left them in office,” he lamented.
The legal practitioner, however, expressed concerns that should the Delta APC fail to put their house in order and do the needful, the opposition may take advantage of the crisis come 2019.
“We should be learning to build institutions and not individuals, a case where some are taking sides with the constitution and others with the position of the cartel is not good for party.
“We call ourselves progressives; we cannot be in a state and not have a valid State Executive.
We must have respect for the constitution of our great party; we must prefer the rule of law to the rule of a cartel, no matter how powerful.
I believe the constitution is higher and superior to anybody, even the chairman of the party is subservient to the constitution,” he averred, adding that by going to court to challenge attempted dissolution of the executive, the Erue-led executive members should automatically lose their membership of the party according to article 20 (5d) of the APC constitution, as amended.