From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Anambra State’s chapter of the South East APC Young Progressives Forum, on Thursday, asked the state and national leadership of their party to probe how the funds released for the 2021 governorship election in the state was spent.
The youths also demanded that an account should be rendered on how the fund released for the execution of the 2023 general election was used by those who were given the money to handle for the party.
National Convener of the group, Paschal Candle, at a press conference in Awka attended by its state officers, said that the disaffection currently threatening the peace of the party in the state stemmed from the way and manner the campaign funds were disbursed.
“In the meeting at Abuja, the recurring theme was the need to render the accounts of past actions or inactions that have been the source of controversies, accusations, counter-accusations, infighting and bad blood among different interests in the party.
“To this end, a resolution was reached for the account of the following to be rendered by those concerned: The 2021 governorship election campaign spending. Those involved should render accounts how the whole funds came and were disbursed.
“The disputed funds from the 2022 National Convention/Presidential Primary. This very fund has been a subject of many controversies in which many leaders involved have not properly disbursed these funds to the satisfaction of party stakeholders. This is the real bone of contention”, he said.
Candle called on the National Chairman of the party, Senator Adamu Abudullahi; Zonal Chairman, Chief Ijeoma Arodiogbu and the state chairman, Chief Basil Ejidike, to look into their demands and do the needful.
“We believe that seeking accountability in these three listed events is a crucial first step to bringing about true reconciliation and healing for the APC in Anambra State.
“We carried out a deep soul searching and sampling of opinions of party members from across different strata in Anambra State and we discovered that the unresolved controversies from the 2021 governorship election campaign handling, 2022 APC presidential primary funds and the just concluded 2023 Presidential Campaign fund controversies were basically the major issues on the lips of party members, which is bringing so much division in the party along lines of interests.
“We, therefore, arrived at the conclusion that the party needs to get a closure on these unresolved issues otherwise the rebuilding efforts of the party may turn out to be a house built on quicksand which will collapse at the smallest sign of tremor”, he said.