Ogboru Writes Buni, Wants Erue Removed As Delta APC Caretaker Committee Chairman

By Daniel Dafe, Abraka
The 2019 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru, has said that Jones Ode Erue is “not fit and the proper person to carry out the all important task of repositioning the party in the state and make it a crisis free party. “

In a letter addressed to Mai Mala Buni, Governor of Yobe State, Nigeria and the caretaker chairman of the APC dated January 26, 2021, calling for Orue’s removal, Ogboru added that “the reign of Prophet Jones in the past 7 years has been “riddled with crisis galore, unconstitutionality, theft, corruption, slanders, falsehood, criminality, deliberate misrepresentation, antiparty, lawlessness, factionalisation, etc,” saying that all of this “can be substantiated with documentary evidence in abundance if required.”

In the said letter, he recalled how he had written to Buni 3 weeks ago, intimating him “that Prophet Jones Ode Erue, the Caretaker Chairman for Delta State had refused to swear in the Caretaker Committees as directed by the NEC of the Party.”

Adding that “Upon getting wind of the letter, the said Prophet Jones hurriedly sent out night invitations selectively to persons unrecognized by the party’s constitution, (against the clear directive of NEC) to be sworn in the next morning. He came to the secretariat and purportedly swore in some state Exco members at his whims and caprices some illegitimate, and left some others out.”

Ogboru continued: “In so doing he refused to swear in the Deputy State Chairman, State Secretary, the Woman Leader, the Youth Leader, the Chairman South Senatorial District, and the State Publicity Secretary. Not only that, 7 LGA Chairmen and 8 LGA Secretaries were not sworn in as directed by NEC.”

According to him, Erue’s actions “are not only against the decision of NEC (NEC decisions are sacrosanct),” but also has “the capability of derailing the entire efforts of the National Caretaker Committee in Delta State with attendant crisis/consequences continuing as has been the chequered history of the APC in Delta State from 2014 to date, under the leadership of Prophet Jones Ode Erue.”

Ogboru said: “To avoid the perennial crisis in the State, Jones Ode Erue must be sanctioned for dereliction of duty, gross indiscipline and serial disregard to the position of NEC, the Party and the Party’s constitution.”

Continuing, he suggested that a new Caretaker Chairman should be picked from a called meeting of the party’s caucus.

His words: “Use the Caucus members as a college to elect a Caretaker Chairmen. Only eligible caucus members from Delta State will vote or be voted for. This meeting should take place at the National Secretariat. The National Chairman or National Secretary are in a veritable position to call and chair this meeting.

“Swear in the proper Exco members in the State, LGA’s and Wards, using the existing exco’s recognized by NEC, as directed by NEC.”

In the alternative, he suggested that the State Exco in its entirety should be set aside and another constituted “that is made up of the 7 man Registration Committee (constituted by the National Chairman) and one representative each from key leaders in the State, who are Deltans as opposed to the 7 members from outside the State making up a total 14 members.”

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He warned that his recommendations should not be taken lightly, if the party is to have a proper standing in harmony and cohesion to win elections.

“The Prophet Jones Ode Erue recipe is to own a party to negotiate with the opponent but not to win an election,” he opined.

Copied in the letter are APC South South Zonal Representative, David lyon; South South Zonal Reconciliation Committee, HE Odigie Oyegun; Women Rep of the National Caretaker Exco, Hon. Stella Okotete; DSP Ovie Omo Agege and H. M. S. Festus Keyamo.

Others are Rt Hon. Victor Ochei; Olorogun Otega Emerho and Prophet Jones Ode Erue.