Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha, chairman of the Ebonyi chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says that the national leadership of the party is yet to inaugurate the House of Assembly Screening Committee for Ebonyi.This is contained in a statement issued by Okoro-Emegha and made available to newsmen on Monday in Abakaliki.
The chairman further dismissed alleged non screening of over 25 aspirants for the House of Assembly on the party’s platform.He said that the rumour making rounds that 25 aspirants of APC for House of Assembly were denied screening was concocted to paint the party in bad light adding that there was no screening in Ebonyi as the committee was yet to be inaugurated.”It beats my imagination that few individuals will just meet to tarnish someone’s hard earned reputation over nothing.
” How can they also be laying claims that I made myself incommunicado by not responding to calls or text messages. “This is a fallacy because everyone can attest that as the state party chairman, I respond to call at just a dial.”The allegation is not only a sham, it’s phony and I want to state that the said screening committee is yet to be inaugurated at our National Secretariat in Abuja. “Why do some people take pleasure in heating up the polity for no just reason?.
” I also learnt that the aspirants who purchased their expression of interest and nomination forms in Abuja are claiming that they have petitioned the National leadership and other stakeholders of the party to intervene over the most ‘foolish’ allegation.
“This shows how desperate and confused people can be over nothing; lawyers will always say ‘you cannot place something on nothing’ and expect it to stand.” Let them continue to display their desperation, APC in Ebonyi is one and no individual or group can be destroyed the party nor its victory. “From the onset of this administration, I alongside other members of my executive promised to give everyone a voice and this has remained our principle and driving force,” Okoro-Emegha said.
The party chairman expressed consternation on the allegation credited to the aspirants alleging that the party in Ebonyi has asked them to pay a whooping N900,000 as fee for state clearance describing it as spurious. “Let me set the record straight, state clearance for House of Assembly screening is N500, 000; we did not mandate any aspirant to pay extra N400, 000.”You can see I’m obviously happy because the spokesman of the group is a lawyer and I’m sure he knows the legal implications of his action.
“As an advocate of peace at any front, I’m still extending the ‘olive’ branch to whosoever that is nursing ill feelings of any kind against the party to come forth for negotiation.”Our party’s victory at the general elections cannot be jeopardised or truncated due to reconcilable difference among members of one indivisible entity,”
Okoro-Emegha added. Our correspondent reports that Mr Chukwuoji Igodo, House of Assembly aspirants from Ivo Constituency led other 24 aspirants to petition Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, National Chairman alleging deniel from screening exercise.
