The Edo State Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday said its former secretary, Lawrence Okah was removed because a vote of no confidence was passed on him.
The State Executive Committee on Tuesday revealed this after a vote of confidence was passed on the leadership of Barr Anslem Ojezua.
A statement signed and forwarded to DAILY POST said the party chairmen across the 18 local government areas of the state also passed a vote of no confidence on the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting of the party’s State Executive Committee, the Deputy State Chairman of the APC, Engr. Kenneth Asekomhe said, “After the meeting of the State Executive Committee, in pursuant of Article 17, Section 5 of APC constitution of 2014, as amended, we the undersigned members passed a vote of no confidence on the State Secretary of the party, Mr Lawrence Okah. He is hereby removed from office.
“The committee also passed a vote of confidence on the State Chairman of APC, Mr Anselm Ojezua.”
”The APC chairmen in the 18 LGAs of the state also reaffirmed their support for the second term bid of Governor Godwin Obaseki on account of his developmental strides.
”The chairmen passed a vote of no confidence on the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.”
The APC Chairman in Esan Central LGA and Secretary, Edo State APC Chairmen Forum, Hon. Mike Anakaso, said the chairmen passed a vote of no confidence on Oshiomhole for his role in trying to disintegrate the party in Edo State.
He warned that “Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is the one behind the crisis in Edo APC and a vote of no confidence was passed on him.
”We don’t want what happened in Zamfara or other parts of the country to happen in Edo State.”he added.
Meanwhile, the Auditor of the Edo State Chapter of the APC, Comrade Timothy Osadolor and the chapter’s Financial Secretary, Princess Golda Oribhabor-Onwuka have distanced themselves from a document purporting to remove the state chairman, Anselm Ojezua from office.
Speaking at the party’s State Secretariat, the duo explained that they were taken in a commando-style to the residence of the suspended Secretary of the party, Mr. Lawrence Okah and forced to sign the document.
Giving details of the incident, the Auditor, Comrade Osadolor explained that they were invited by a colleague for a meeting, before they were whisked to Okah’s residence.
He said he was threatened and asked to sign the document if he wanted to leave the residence alive, noting that he had to append a fake signature against his name to regain freedom.
According to him, “What happened, to the best of my knowledge, is an act of desperation taken too far. We were taken in a commando-style to the house of the State Secretary, where I was forced to sign the documents purportedly removing Anslem Ojezua. There were just eight or nine signatures on the document. My name was badly spelt. I didn’t draw their attention to it but had to play along by signing the document with a fake signature.
The Financial Secretary, Princess Golda Oribhabor-Onwuka emphasised that she signed the document under duress.