- Insists Ralph Okey Nwosu, ADC Chairman, Is Authentic IPAC Leader
- They're An Illegal Group, Bunch Of Losers And Wailers, Says Nzenwa's Exco
By Celestine Okafor (Publisher/Editor-in-Chief)
Barely two weeks after the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) held its election on Thursday November 12, 2020, to select a new crop of executive members of the Council, an existing factional group within the IPAC body led by Chief Ralphs Okey Nwosu, national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has disowned the new executive led by Dr Leonard Nzenwa, describing them as "mere impersonators".
The factional group of IPAC accused the newly elected executives of foisting themselves on IPAC with intents to "hijack IPAC" for alleged "nefarious activities".
Recall that the election that produced Dr Leonard Nzenwa's executives of IPAC was supervised by a team of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as said to be required by the relevant electoral law. The Election Committee that conducted the IPAC poll was however chaired by Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, national chairman of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
In a communique on Monday by the splinter group of IPAC jointly issued by Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu (ADC chairman) who signed as the "acting president" of IPAC and Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam (LP) Ag. Vice President, Hon. Adekunle Rufai OmoAje (AA) Ag. Secretary General and Elder Chuks Achusi (APGA) Ag. National Treasurer, the factional Exco said that the General Assembly of the Council rose from a meeting of IPAC held on Saturday November 21, 2020, under the leadership of Chief Ralphs Okey Nwosu and resolved as follows:
"1. That consequent upon the unanimous Judgment of the Court of Appeal, all the affected political parties in the eyes of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, were never de-registered. It therefore follows that all actions carried out by the self-imposed Interim National executives of IPAC remain illegal, unconstitutional, and null and void; these group of persons are mere impersonators wanting to hijack IPAC for nefarious activities.
"2. That the judgment affirmed the subsistence of all State Executive members that were duly elected in the elections conducted by the 10th Assembly of the Inter Party Advisory Council of Nigeria on November 4, 2019 to 25th November, 2019. As a result, all elected members are mandated to remain in office and continue to discharge their official responsibilities without fear or favour and in accordance to IPAC’s code of conduct.
"3. That on the issues raised by some states executives of IPAC concerning the purported National election of 12th November, 2020 and scheduled IPAC State elections from November 30th to December 24th, 2020, the position of the council remains to be on path of the law. We appeal to all states leaders to maintain peace and disregard all such notices, abuses and infringements on the IPAC Code of Conduct by individuals sponsored to subvert the rule of law and undermine the integrity of member parties. The council maintains that any appointments or elections conducted by these impostors led by acting Chairman of AAC, Leonard Nzenwa, remains illegal and unconstitutional and cautions that members who voluntarily choose to indulge them do so at their own risks.
"4. That a seven (7) member Committee was set up to review causes of the severe tension rocking most of the parties and the general agitation and protests in the country with Alhaji San Turaki as the chairman and Barr Kehinde Edu as Secretary. Other members are Chief Barr Emeka Igwe, PDC, Barr (Mrs) Georgina Dakpokpo (YDP), one nominee each from PDP, APC, and SDP. They will in addition investigate the sources and veracity of the rumored plots of some organizations and persons with the dubious agenda to foist one party system in Nigeria. While we may discountenance this conspiracy, the council cautions all party leaders to invest the effort in building their parties and/or developing working coalitions and collaborations that will continue to make their parties viable to thwart the ungodly works of any such conspirators.
"5. That the Council resolved to hold a joint session national executive meeting and the first On-line/virtual conference of All IPAC states Chairmen and Secretaries and the National Council on Thursday (this week) between the hours of 1600 to 1800. The admin will set up the link and notify all participants with the appropriate codes.
"6. That the Council will resolve various outstanding issues and communicate to all the political party leaders latest on Monday 23rd November, 2020", the Communique stated.
Meanwhile, NIGERIAN NEWSLEADER NEWSPAPER ONLINE gathered from both factions of IPAC that the ongoing power tussle predates the recent election of Dr Leonard Nzenwa's newly elected executive.
According to a knowledgeable source within the Nzenwa led Exco, the new elected chairman (Leonard Nzenwa) "is the authentic national chairman of IPAC recognized by INEC since February 2020 that the 74 political parties were de-registered and has been acting in that capacity and will until the Supreme Court decides the fate of the 22 parties whose matter is pending before it based on INEC's insistence.
The source further said that "It was in August 2020 that the 22 de-registered political parties won their case in Appeal Court, while INEC won 4 other cases in Appeal Court and then went to the Supreme Court to decide it. INEC insisted that it will not re-list the 22 parties until the Supreme Court decides.
"However, Mr Peter Ameh, the then IPAC chairman whose party was de-registered, handed over the reigns of power to Dr Leonard Nzenwa in June 2020. His leadership would have ended on September 5, 2020, if not for the de-registration of his party, the PPA, which consequently disqualified it from being IPAC member.
"Now aware that he had duly handed all IPAC's property including the national secretariat to Dr Leonard Nzenwa in June 2020, and also conscious of the fact that INEC has not, uptil now, re-listed the affected political parties, decided to make mockery of the council by announcing on September 4, 2020, that his tenure has ended and went ahead and formed what he jokingly called central management committee led by Chief Ralphs Okey Nwosu.
"It was an action that was a nulity as Peter Ameh's party (PPA) is not recognized by INEC. The Commission also neither recognized Ameh's double handover nor that of Chief Ralphs Okey Nwosu who is operating without IPAC documents, bank accounts and property. What Peter Ameh and Ralphs Okey Nwosu did were a mere media show to prove his displeasure for Dr Leonard Nzenwa, claiming that he is not fighting for restoration of the affected parties, a matter that is squarely an INEC affair.
"It is noteworthy that INEC said it will abide by the Supreme Court's judgment due to conflicting Appeal Court judgments, some of which are in favor of INEC and one in favor of the de-registered parties. So, at the end of all these drama and petty intrigues, Dr Leonard Nzenwa remains the bonafide chairman of IPAC, now duly elected, and so, he is officially representing the council in all political engagements. Nwosu and his co travellers are an illegal group, a bunch of losers, just wailing unnecessarily like the wailers", the Nzenwa's exco source stated.
But beyond the foregoing however, Chief Ralphs Okey Nwosu insists that Nzenwa's election and those of his new executive members was a product of a kangaroo arrangement designed to enhance an entrenched interest within the IPAC. "Nzenwa can not continue to parade himself as IPAC chairman", quips another source within Nwosu's faction of the IPAC group, adding that "I will therefore urge the media to stop giving him and his group publicity that they do not deserve". NNL.
