The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Usani Usani, yesterday, denied allegations that he was behind the crisis in the Cross River State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) because of personal ambition.
The minister said this while fielding questions from newsmen through his Aide, Mr Sam Bassy, at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.
“We are all anxious to have the party moving, it is not about anybody, but about APC in Cross River, if anybody is interested in contesting election, he must have a platform,’’ he said.
He alleged that since his appointment as minister, the Cross River chapter of the APC had been without an effective chairman and was collapsing because of lack of good leadership.
Usani Usani was the APC chairman in Cross River before his appointment.
He alleged that with Mr John Ochalla as acting chairman of the APC in the state after his exit, the party never knew peace.
The minister, however, maintained that with the election of Mr Etim John on February 24 as the new chairman, the APC now had solid ground to win elections.
“We want to win election in Cross River and we need somebody that can stand out and lead the party in the office of the chairman to get us to victory,’’ he said.
He recalled that the 2017 congress which date was fixed by the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun when he received a delegation from Cross River was frustrated by some forces.
“When the heat continued, they said that we should conduct state congress. So, we met the Deputy National Chairman, South, Engr. Segun Oni and the National Organising Secretary, Sen. Osita Izunasor. We told them that we would go for state congress.
“At the congress, we elected Etim John who polled 56 voted against Mathew Atigbo who had 36 votes,” he said.
