By Magnus Effiong
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Effiong Efiom, has lamented that the party has no functional State Secretariat due to inexplainable reasons.
Chief Efiom, who addressed himself as a founding member of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), one of the legacy parties which merged to form the APC, described the Secretariat issue as a monumental disappointment.
He said “The issue of Secretariat of our great party is a monumental diaappointment.The questions to ask are: Where do the party leadership receive and direct mails or better still what is the party’s mailing address in the state?
“Where are the party documents kept? Where do the officials converge to carry out their official responsibilities? Where do they receive top party leaders like the state Governor, Deputy Governor, or their National Leaders should they decide to visit the Party Secretariats?
“So far, attempt by the ruling party, which is under the watch of Senator Ben Ayade as Governor, to secure a secretariat for the party’s activities have been futile.
“The Murtala Mohammed Highway Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which the Governor laid claims to, had been elusive following a court junction restraining the state leadership of the party from entering and using the facility.
“Reports alleged that the last time the Barr. Alphonsus Ogar Eba-led elected State Executive Committee attempted to make use of the Murtala Mohammed office incurred the wrath of the PDP in the state who moved for the enforcement of an initial court order stopping the APC from the attempt.
“The Secretariat has been subject to litigation since Sen. Ayade defected to the APC from the PDP.
“The Marian Road Secretariat which was occupied by the Caretaker Committee has been retrieved from the party by the landlord as the party failed to renew the rent.
“Very reliable member in the State Exco said the party could not meet initial agreement with the landlord for the year it was occupying the property.
“I do not think the APC has any functional office for now except that it’s currently enjoying a phantom digital inclination that doesn’t translate to anything tangible.
“It is an iirony that we have a sitting APC Governor but we lack basic necessities, and also lagging behind in terms of administration.”
