By Chuks Ehirim
Crises-ridden Inter-Party Advisory Council [IPAC], has finally elected a new two- man executive with Mallam Shittu Mohammed[National Chairman of the Republican Party-RPN] emerging as the council’s new Chairman while Emmanuel Mork of the National Transformation
Party[NTP],as the new Secretary. Shittu who was the immediate past secretary of IPAC, was at daggers drawn with the former Chairman, Chief Emmanuel Okereke.
The election itself may end up in legal tussle as the former chairman insisted that it was illegal and will not stand. Okereke said he was relying on a letter from the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC],dated August 24, 2012, to declare the whole process a nullity.
The letter from INEC which was signed by the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi A. Kaugama, stated that “Commission cannot accept the notice for IPAC meeting signed by the chairman of six [6] political parties[CPP,ACD,ACCORD,AA,NMD and CAP]”.
Speaking before the voting which produced Shitu and Mork, Okereke alleged that there was thugery in the process and that it lacked transparency. “I can see thuggery in what happening here today.I have not seen where somebody summoned a meeting and said that election must hold same day. INEC said it must supervise the election but INEC is not here. Let us take a date when election will be conducted .
Let it not be a coup because coup is treasonable and the punishment is death”,Okereke said.
He was however, over ruled by Barrister Maxi Okwu who presided over the meeting which had election as the only agenda . Those in attendance quickly put together, a three man electoral committee made up Mustapher Saliu of the Congress for Progressive Change[CPC],Sunny Monidafe of the Action Congress of Nigeria [ACN] Mohammed Lalado. The committee went ahead with the business of the day, which had the leaders of 34political parties in attendance.
For the position of Chairman, only Shitu showed interest and was declared elected unopposed. That of Secretary however attracted four contestants-namely : Okoroafor Uche of Justice Party,Chief Willy Ezeugwu-APGA, Emmanuel Mork –NTP and Chief Eke of CPP. At the end of voting, Mork got nine votes to beat Ezeugwu who polled eight .Eke and Uche got two and zero votes respectively.
The election of Shittu was however, described as a victory for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party[PDP] whose National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, was in attendance. It was perhaps the first time the PDP showed up at IPAC meeting. Shitu’s traducers claimed that e was planted by the ruling party to continue doing its bidding. Other party leaders, perhaps realizing that, teamed up to vote in Mork who many said would align with PDP, as secretary .
