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.
The notification of suspension states that it will start on Friday, June 23, 2023.
The exco members who cast a vote of no confidence against the ward chairman also charged him with being a tyrant and unable to advance the party.
They said that these were to blame for the party’s appalling results in the most recent national elections.
Along with violating several provisions of the APC constitution, the suspended ward chairman was charged with doing so with the assistance of some former administration officials.
We write to inform 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, 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.
“The Utugwang North Ward Chairman has flagrantly disobeyed Article 17(iii) of the APC constitution, which forbids elected or appointed party officers to continue in office for more than two terms, by maintaining himself in office for a third term. He is currently in office for an unconstitutional third term.
Similar to this, the Ward Chairman had factionalized the party in violation of Article 21(vi) of the party’s constitution by refusing to consult with his executive Committee and other stakeholders while making crucial decisions affecting the party. He established a faction with just two members, and they were in charge of the party’s dismal election results. Recall that only three of the ward’s thirteen voting units were won by the party.
Parts of the suspension notice read, “They further accused Akpanke of marginalizing his exco members and making unilateral decisions, maintaining that he has always disobeyed lawful party directives to feed the egos of his sponsors.”
At the time this report was filed, attempts to contact Akpanke were unsuccessful since his line was busy.
