Warri – Right activist and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Delta State, Robinson Ariyo, said ,the party’s constitution was higher and above any individual or a cartel within the party.

Ariyo stated this last weekend in Warri during a chat with newsmen. He said , the crisis currently rocking the party in the state was as a result of lack of respect for the rule of law.

He decried a situation where a party which is supposed to be a party of progressives would now allow a group of individuals hijack it and tear the party apart.

According to Ariyo, a legal practitioner, he said the Prophet Jones Erue led executive committee was delared illegal by a Federal High Court of justice, because the congress that brought them to be, was not orgnised in accordance with the party’s constitution and guidelines for conducting congresses. He said,

“Okotie-Eboh who ws aggrieved during the congress, dragged the present Exco to court and defeated the state exco.
Expectedly, the person who judgement is given in his favor, is allowed to take over leadership.

“Now, instead of the party….the National Working Committee of the party, to tread the path of at least trying to put in place a caretaker committee with view to stabilising the state chapter of the party, so that eventually we can proceed on a legal ground, a few members of the National working committee decided to take sides with those that lost in that court case, and left them in office”.

Speaking further he said,

“That threw up a lot of challenges ; we started operating on that illegal basis.When the National Working Committee decided to take the bull by the horns, the Jones Erue led exco, rushed court and filed a motion before a Federal High Court in Warri, challenging the attempted dissolution of their exco without first exploring the internal mechanisms for resolving dispute.”

“By that action, they automatically loose their membership of the party according to article 20 (5d) of the APC constitution, as amended.
.If you are not a member of the party, you cannot be a member of the state executive committee, so it further created some legal aberration”.

He further argued that the constitution cannot be sacrificed on the altar of personal relationship with some party members, alleging that the national Chairman of the party, Chief Odigie Oyegun and a few others were taking sides with those that lost in the court case .

He added that the National Legal Adviser of the Party has also said that as far as they were concerned, there was no state executive in the Party.

He however, expressed concerns that ,should the Delta APC fail to put their house in order and do the needful, the opposition may take advantage of the crisis come 2019.

“We should be learning to build institutions and not individuals, a case where some are taking sides with the constitution and others with the position of the cartel is not good for party”.

“We call ourselves Progressives, we cannot be in a state and not have a valid State Executive. We must have respect for the constitution of our great party, we must prefer the rule of law to the rule of a cartel, no matter how powerful. I believe the contistitution is higher and superior to anybody, even the chairman of the party is subservient to the constitution”. He said.

Meanwhile, some party members insist that there is valid executive in the state. Minister for State, Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachiukwu said ” I do not agree , there is a state executive ,as long as their term is there, they are the executives”.

Also, Engr. Leonard Ibibi says “the matter which a judgement has been given is under appeal and that appeal subsists”.