A faction of the African Action Congres (AAC) has countered the rejection of Omoyele Sowore as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 General Elections by members of another faction of the party.
The Leonard Ezenwa-led faction of the party, on Wednesday, claimed that Mr Sowore had long been expelled from the office following his violation of the party’s constitution, among other offences.
The party, AAC, was founded in the run-up to the 2019 polls by the publisher of Sahara Reporters who later emerged as the party’s presidential candidate that year.
Mr Sowore at a point officially doubled as the AAC National Chairman and presidential candidate, a privilege Mr Ezenwa-led faction said was against the Constitution of the party.
“The African Action Congress wishes to notify the general public that Mr Omoyele Sowore was expelled on August 9, 2019, at the party’s National Convention held in Owerri, Imo State. He was first suspended from the party in May 2019 and his suspension was upheld by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction in Nigeria,” the faction said.
The faction made this known in a statement signed by the factional spokesperson, Sylvester Cletus, on Wednesday,
Reacting to the claim challenging Mr Sowore’s legitimacy, a factional spokesperson of the party, Femi Adeyeye, on Thursday, said they are not disturbed by the former’s resistance.
He accused Mr Ezenwa’s faction of doing the bidding of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration and dismissed their membership of the party.
Mr Adeyeye said the members were also expelled in May 2019 “after being found guilty of misappropriating party funds, gross sabotage, and numerous anti-party activities.”
He said the renewed attack on Mr Sowore was in reaction to the gradual acceptance of the latter by potential electorates ahead of the 2023 elections.
“Setting the records straight, we wish to reiterate, for the umpteenth time that these elements spreading fake news in the media are not members of our party. And the leader of this rogue squad was expelled as far back as 13th May 2019, after being found guilty of misappropriating party funds, gross sabotage, and numerous anti-party activities.
“If these issues of corruption and abuse of office happened in the APC and PDP, the systems therein would probably have looked the other way. But as a revolutionary party which aspires to genuinely win the people’s mandate to rescue Nigeria, we cannot keep a thief within the party leadership. That would amount to sheer hypocrisy and a crime against the Nigerian people we swore to fight alongside with,” Mr Sowore faction raid.
A check at the INEC portal by PREMIUM TIMES revealed Mr Ezenwa as the recognised National Chairman of the party by the commission.
The election umpire, also on Thursday, confirmed that AAC and its 17 other counterparts have submitted their membership registers in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
However, it was not clear who between Mr Sowore and Mr Ezenwa submitted the register.
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