THE Edo State chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Aselm Ojezua yesterday in Benin read the riot act out to disloyal party members, threatening to suspend those forming parallel groups within the party.
Ojezua who spoke shortly after the state executive committee meeting held at the party’s secretariat said that his major focus was how to strengthen the ruling party’s unity ahead of the 2020 governorship election in the state.
At the meeting which had Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki in attendance, the party chairman who frowned at the rebellious attitude of some of the members emphasized that the party has the right to suspend dissidents but for expulsion, it can only make recommendations.
He said: “You know in our constitution, we have various punishment for various offences. This one goes with suspension with the possibility of expulsion but it is the national executive committee that has the power for expulsion. We can only make recommendations”, he said.
He defended the meeting, noting that it became necessary in order to checkmate and cut those who want to cause disaffection within the party to size and strengthen the fabrics of the party.
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Ojezua said: “Essentially, the meeting was to discuss issues of formation of a group within the party and on what the constitution says about that.
“And we reached the conclusion that the constitution of the party forbids the formation of a parallel-group within the party. It is anti-party, it works to weaken the fabrics of the party and it must be discouraged.
“So we are going to take steps to deal with those issues.
“As you recalled, in May, we published the disclaimer where we said the constitution of the party does not recognize groups particularly, the said group EPM or whatever it is called.
“So, what the state executive committee has done today is to give impetus to that position and those identified will be called upon to explain their situations and then, of course, whatever actions that will follow will be determined by their response.”
He said the party remains united in the state and that there are indices to that fact just as he also admitted that there are pockets of greedy and irritant members within the party.
“First of all, I need to clarify that there is no crisis in the party. We had a state executive committee today, it was fully attended and all the decisions we took, were unanimous and the reports we got from the local governments indicate that across the state, APC is intact.”
Ojezua who referred to the dissidents as a group of greedy irritants added that if they have the tendency to create disharmony within the party, the leadership does have the duty to deal with the reality of the situation.
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