Paul Akpanke, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Cross River State’s Obudu Local Government Area’s Utugwang North Ward, has been placed on administrative leave.
The Utugwang ward chairman and his exco approved the suspension.
They charged Akpanke with financial malfeasance, acting inappropriately, and disobeying party norms and directions.
An email sent to the party’s chapter chairman and bearing the signatures of 90 ward executives announced the suspension.
According to the notice of suspension, it takes effect from Friday, June 23, 2023.
The exco members who passed a vote of no confidence on the ward chairman, also accused him of high-handedness as well as inability to move the party forward.
According to them, these were responsible for the abysmal performances of the party in the last general elections.
The suspended ward chairman was also accused of going against some sections of the APC constitution by staying in office for the third consecutive time, with the support of some officials of the past administration.
“Pursuant to Article 26 of the constitution of our great party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, which allows 1/3 of the executive committee of any organ of the party to convey a valid meeting, we write to notify you that in a meeting held on June 23, 2023, and attended by at least, nineteen of the twenty six members of the Ward Executive Committee of Utugwang North, a Vote of No Confidence was passed on the Ward Chairman, Mr. Paul Akpanke”, the notice reads in part.
“Contrary to Article 17 (iii) of APC constitution, which forbids elected or appointed party officers to stay in office for more than two terms, the Utugwang North Ward Chairman has flagrantly disregarded this by perpetuating himself in office for a third term. He is currently serving an illegal third term in office.
“Similarly, in contravention of Article 21 (vi), of the party’s constitution, the Ward Chairman had factionalised the party by refusing to work with his executive Committee and stakeholders in taking critical decisions that concern the party. He created a faction with just two stakeholders who are responsible for the poor performance of the party in the last election. Recall that the party won just three out of the thirteen polling units in the ward.”
They further accused Akpanke of sidelining his exco members and taking unilateral decisions, maintaining that he has always disobeyed lawful party directives to feed the egos of his sponsors”, the suspension notice read in parts.
Efforts to reach Akpanke at the time of filing this report proved abortive as his line was unavailable.
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