By Lucky Isibor,
There is jubilation amidst members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in Edo state following Tuesday morning impeachment of the state chairman of the party, Barr. Anselm Ojezua in Benin City.
All APC members who spoke to SUMMIT NIGERIA were unanimous in condemning the ways and manner Anselm Ojezua allegedly piloted the affairs of the party.
The Edo State APC chairman, Anselm Ojezua was Tuesday morning impeached by 12 out of the 17 members of the State Working Committee, SWC of the party and replaced with Col. David Imuse, the state vice-chairman, Edo Central who is to act as state chairman pending ratification.
In a chat with one of the APC chieftains and former Edo State Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice, Hon. Henry Idahagbon, described the removal of Anselm Ojezua as good radiance to bad rubbish just as he accused him of ineptitude and lackadaisical attitude to the challenges of the party.
He said Ojezua could not hold the party together adding that the impeachment conforms with APC constitution on the removal of a state chairman.
According to Idahagbon, “the removal, the impeachment or the torpedo against Anselm Ojezua is good radiance to bad rubbish. Anselm Ojezua will go down in the history of politicking in Edo state as the worst state chairman produced by any political party, not just APC, any political party.
“He was inept, lackadaisical. He did not appear to know the duties and functions of the chairman of a political party.”
“It was a lawful and legal impeachment. There are 17 members that make up the State Working Committee, SWC, the 17 of them are the principal office holders of the party. Out of the 17, twelve of them signed for Anselm Ojezua’s removal this morning.
“There has been celebration akin to Christmas eve celebration among the rank and file of APC since the news broke”, he said.
On the earlier purported removal from office of the Edo State secretary of the party, Idahagbon said, ” as for Lawrence Okah, he was never legally removed. He only got a letter from the state chairman suspending him from office. The said chairman lacks the locus, the legal capacity to suspend the secretary. The secretary is not an appointee of the state chairman, he’s also an elected official and you require the same two-third majority of the SWC to remove him or you get his ward executive to also initiate his suspension or removal from office.”to
Also reacting to the the development, another chieftain of the party and a former APC governorship aspirant, Gen. Charles Airiavbere said the removal of Anselm Ojezua as the state chairman of the party is long over due pointing out that it’s the beginning of activities to free the state of an authoritarian regime.
Efforts to reach the impeached chairman, Anselm Ojezua and the state publicity secretary of the party, Hon. Azebanmwen for their reaction failed as calls to their phones could not get through.
However, in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Edo State governor on Communication and Strategy, Crusoe Osagie and made available to news men said two of those who signed Ojezua’s impeachment allegedly did so under duress.
According to the governor’s aide, the state auditor of the party and state financial secretary, Comrade Timothy Osadolor and Princess Golda Oribhabor-Onwuka respectively, have denied they signed Ojezua’s impeachment notice.
Also another statement by Crusoe Osagie said the national chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has been suspended from the party. According to Osagie, “The decision followed the vote of no confidence passed on Comrade Oshiomhole by the Chairmen of the APC in the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Edo State.”
