…Party insists no fund is missing
The Northern Cross River Reconciliation Movement has called on the state chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River, Barr. Alphonsus Eba, to immediately resign from office over allegation of financial impropriety.
The group in a statement signed by its chairman, Bernard Ingio, stated that “At the wake of 2023 General Elections, All Progressives Congress, APC, aspirants made bountiful donations to the party. These donations are outside the huge sums given to the party, by Senator Professor Ben Ayade, then governor of the state for the prosecution of the 2023 Elections.
“These monies were handed over to Alphonsus Eba, the State Party Chairman who pocketed every kobo of that money and a year after the election he has not given an account of the money or even an evaluation of the outcome of the election where the party lost woefully in the northern district where he hails from.
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“A run down of few of the donations made by aspirants include:
Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong – 25 million naira
Chief Chris Agara – 20 million naira
Senator John Owan Eno – 10 million naira
Hon Okon Awuna – 10 million naira
Engineer Ekpenyong Nsa – 10 million naira
Hon Legor Idagbor – 10 million naira
Hon Joseph Bassey – 5 million naira
Hon Victor Abang – 5 million naira
These sums amount to 90 million naira.
“There were a deluge of other donations from virtually all aspirants seeking tickets on the platform of the APC across the state in the range of 4 million, 3 million, 2 million, 1 million and 500 thousand naira. All these monies amounted to over two hundred million which were handed over to Eba. The veritable question is, where are all these monies and who has he given account of the money to?
“This same APC Chairman collected a whopping 50 million naira for his official car and as I write this, Eba has pocketed the money meant for the official cars of other State Executive Council members. Many of them walk or take public transport to the office which is quite embarrassing for Exco officials of the ruling Party.
“This odious state of affairs makes the Party stinks and it breeds dissatisfaction, despondency and rebellion by the officials and members.
“It is clear that Eba is ruining our Party before our very eyes because of avarice, rapacious personal aggrandisement and should therefore be brought to book immediately.
“We in Northern Cross River Reconciliation Movement insist that Eba should immediately account for these huge sums of money in his possession and tender an APOLOGY to stakeholders and members for destroying our great party and then RESIGN.
“We call on stakeholders to demand the immediate RESIGNATION of Mr Alphonsus Eba or be forced out before he inflicts incalculable damage on the fortune of our dear party.”
Reacting to the allegation, the state chapter of the Party in a release signed by the Acting Publicity Secretary, Hon. Emmanuel Edem Inyang JP, said that the chairman did not embezzle any fund as no money of the Party was missing.
According to him, “The question is, can the state chairman unilaterally in an Exco of 38 members collect almost 200 million as alleged and squander same without any outcry from the Exco?
“Interestingly however, the State Executive Committee has spent in excess of 200 million to carter for official car support to over 21 Exco members / the welfare of Executive and non Executive members.
“The State Working Committee is responsible for the day to day administration of the party, therefore every fund authorized by the state Chairman is appropriated, approved and ratified by the State Executive Committee in tandem with the provisions of the party’s constitution.”