A pressure group, the Northern Cross River Reconciliation Movement (NCRRM), has called on the chairman of the state ruling party, Alphonsus Eba, to give an account of all the donations received from key funders of the last general elections.
They have insisted that if he does not provide a proper account of the various receipts, he should resign from his position, given the fact that the ruling party was roundly defeated in the governorship, presidential, National Assembly, and even the just-concluded rerun elections in the last few weeks.
In a statement released Friday evening and signed by its chairman, Mr. Bernard Injuo, NCRRM also insisted that Eba should tender an apology for running the party aground.
The group claimed that in the wake of the 2023 general elections, APC aspirants made what they called hefty donations to the party, explaining that the donations were outside those from Professor Ben Ayade, the then governor of the state.
They listed a cumulative sum of N200 million received from virtually all aspirants seeking party tickets across the state, in the range of N4m, N3m, N2m, N1m, and N500,000.
The group disclosed that other donations came from: “Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong N25m, Chief Chris Agara – N20m, Senator John Owan Eno- N10m, Hon Okon Awuna N10m, Engr. Ekpenyong Nsa N10m, Hon Legor Idagbor N10m, Hon Joseph Bassey N5m, and Hon Victor Abang – N5m.
“These monies were all handed over to the state party chairman, Alphonsus Eba.
“It is sad that a year after the election, he has not given an account of the money or even an evaluation of the outcome of the election, where the party lost woefully in the northern district where he hails from.”
The group also expressed shock that he has not bought the official cars for himself and other state party executive officers with the N50m released to him.
“This odious state of affairs makes the party stink and breeds dissatisfaction, despondency, and rebellion by the officials and members.”
Reacting, Eba said that the financial transactions of the party, including expenses during the general elections, are all intact.
The party also reacted in a statement titled ‘Defending Leadership: A Rebuttal Against Calls for Resignation of C’River APC Chairman, Alphonsus Eba’, signed by Emmanuel Edem Inyang JP, acting publicity secretary, saying Eba will not resign until 2026, when his tenure expires.
“The call for the resignation of Alphonsus Ogar Eba is not only laughable, childish, foolish but is known to have emanated from some bunch of known cowards whose political proficiency is ensconced in infantile anti-party activities. We have come to view their excesses as a cancerous malignant tumor that must be dealt with this time around.”
“Critics of Eba’s leadership fail to acknowledge the party’s commendable performance in the general elections as well as the rerun elections, where despite the pressing challenges where this set of people indulged in anti-party activities and other several impediments, APC demonstrated resilience and competitiveness in Obanliku and Yala 11 state constituencies, while the APC candidate for the Akampka/Biase Federal Constituency secured an outstanding and resounding victory.”
The party said that “The narrative of Eba’s resignation is a concerted attempt by detractors to deflect attention from critical issues within the party, including conspiracies, anti-party activities, and betrayals. They are illiterate, primitive, witchcraft experts, and numskulls.”
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