3 Billion Naira APC Election Fund Grows Legs, Ogoru Beaten, Delta APC At War With Itself, PDP Fingered, Frustration Everywhere

APC Delta State “branch” is enmeshed in a name calling game, this is coming after the party’s disastrous performance at the polls. A week after the All Progressives Congress, APC lost the governorship election in Delta State to the main opposition PDP, the party has gone to war with itself with members engaged in trading blames over the loss.

During the 2019 general elections, out of the 25 local councils in the state, APC had the privilege of winning only 2 local councils, these are Ughelli North and Ethiope East local councils, these are the home council of the senator representing Delta Central senatorial district, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor and APC’s governorship candidate, Chief Great Ogboru.

READ ALSO:Crashed Ethiopian Airline Black Boxes Show Similarities With Indonesia crash

The drama started last weekend when a party chieftain and the convener, Coalition of Delta All Progressives Congress, APC Support Groups, Daniel Ekiugbo, told the APC governorship candidate Ogboru to concede defeat and forget about going to the court because according to him, the party lost the election fairly. According to him, that the party lost the governorship election was because the N3 billion campaign fund provided by two high ranking Federal Government appointees were diverted for other purposes and not for the campaign it was originally intended for.

Besides the assertion by Ekiugbo, party sources also claimed that an additional N30 million budgeted for the mobilisation of each local government never got to the local party organisers, so they were starved of funds during the election.

These diversions have become a stumbling block for Ogboru’s petition, Ogboru’s petition is hinged on the allegation of over voting which was alleged to have occurred in many Local Government Areas of the state. According to Ogboru, the declared results of the just concluded election exceeded the card reader accreditation which he has circulated to critical members of the party and stakeholders in the state.

However, Ogboru’s efforts at securing raw data in the format of materials endorsed at the collation is now becoming an uphill task as many of the APC agents are refusing to turn in their documents to Ogboru and the party. One of the agents who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity said

“You can imagine them asking me to provide the results from my area when they did not relate with us during the elections. They behaved as if we did not exist during the election and refused to provide us with money and now they are asking for documents, but I am no longer obligated to him.

Another party official (on condition of anonymity) spoken to was of the opinion that the prevailing practice of party agents refusing to grant Ogboru access to these sensitive documents needed to prove Ogboru’s case had the touch of agents of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but others spoken to were of the opinion that the agents actions were simply in retaliation to the nonchalant attitude earlier meted on them by the party.

When asked about the alleged N3 billion campaign fund, the party’s state Publicity secretary, Sylvester Ionia, said that

“There is a difference between approval for a particular sum of money and release of that money as such money of such was given to anyone of the party.” He said:

“This is blackmail just to bring the name of the governorship candidate and all those who are working for the good of the party to disrepute. That is their aim because they feel the likelihood of them being reappointed is very slim hence this mudslinging.

“These are individuals who never contributed anything to the funding of the party and they are in court all over the place having refused to withdraw their cases despite the Vice President’s plea to them and the fact that what some of them needed in the area of sharing of the state executive was given to them.

“What actually happened was that some persons from Delta North felt not happy with these aggrieved individuals who are from Delta Central having queued behind them to fight against the aspiration of the governorship candidate.

“So, when they saw the way the agreement was drafted, they felt angered, accused them of being greedy, withdrew and asked to be negotiated on their own terms and this stalled the agreement that was brokered by the Vice President.

“Having not succeeded in their ploy, they went from one court to another and as we speak now, they have about 20 cases in the court just to make sure that they scuttle the party and render the machineries of the party incompetent.”