Enugu State Chairman of APM, Ken Ikeh, reading the South-East chairmen's communiqué in Abuja on Sunday.
The state chairmen of the Allied Peoples Movement in the South-East have rejected the appointment of zonal and state coordinators for the Seyi Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Council, describing the arrangement as one that sidelines the party’s recognised state executives.
The chairmen made their position known in a communiqué read by the Enugu State Chairman, Ken Ikeh, at a press conference in Abuja after their meeting on Sunday.
The communiqué was signed by the state chairmen of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states: Victor Umunna, Uzochukwu Eminent, Ohakam Kate, Ken Ikeh and Clinton Edoziem, respectively, who all pledged their support for Makinde’s presidential ambition and his ‘RESET Nigeria’ agenda.
However, they objected to the creation of coordinatorship structures without proper consultation.
“Notwithstanding our support for the presidential ambition of our party and our commitment to the RESET Nigeria Agenda, we hereby express our strongest objection to the appointment or imposition of zonal and state coordinators for the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Council in a manner that sidelines or usurps the responsibilities of the duly recognised state chairmen and established party structures,” the communiqué said.
The chairmen described such an arrangement as inconsistent with the party’s principles, particularly where there is inadequate consultation with state chairmen.
“We consider any such arrangement, particularly where it operates without adequate consultation with the relevant state chairmen, to be inconsistent with the principles of internal democracy, collective responsibility, and respect for the party’s established legal framework.
“It is, therefore, counterproductive to establish parallel structures that could create confusion, undermine existing leadership, encourage unnecessary rivalry, and weaken the unity required for a successful presidential campaign,” the statement added.
They appealed to the party’s presidential flagbearer and the APM national leadership to dissolve the state coordinatorship structures.
The chairmen also asked that all campaign materials meant for mobilisation in the states, including vehicles, branded equipment and publicity materials, be handed over to the respective state chairmen for distribution.
“We further appeal that all campaign materials, whether vehicles, branded campaign equipment, publicity materials, logistical resources, or other items intended for political mobilisation within the various states, be made available to the respective State Chairmen for effective distribution and utilisation.
“Campaign resources are most effective when entrusted to recognised party structures that possess the capacity to deploy them strategically, transparently, and in accordance with the peculiar needs of each state,” they stated.
They urged the party’s National Leader, Senator Bala Mohammed, and Makinde to intervene urgently, warning that the continued operation of parallel campaign structures could generate unnecessary tension, weaken the party’s organisational cohesion, and undermine the progress already recorded.
The chairmen warned that failure to address their grievances immediately and satisfactorily could lead them to reconsider their continued participation in the present campaign arrangement.
“We unequivocally state that, should these grievances not be addressed immediately and satisfactorily, the undersigned state chairmen may be compelled to reconsider their continued participation in the present campaign arrangement and take further appropriate decisions in the collective political interest of their respective states and the South-East geopolitical zone,” the communique stated.