The crisis rocking the All progressives Congress (APC) has been deepened as 15 members of the national working committee (NWC) of the party appointed Hilliard Eta as acting national chairman of the party.

Eta, who is the APC’s National Vice-Chairman South-South, at a press conference at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, explained that his appointment was in tandem with the constitution of the party.

The Cross Rivers state born chieftain of the party acknowledged that Senator Abiola Ajimobi who ought to have taken the place of the suspended chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was unavoidably absent for now to oversee the affairs of the party.

Eta was flanked by 10 NWC members and declared that the seat of the Deputy national secretary of the party occupied by Victor Giadom as vacant on the basis that he had since resigned his membership of the NWC prior to the 2019 general elections to contest elections in Rivers state.

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He thereby asked the chieftains of the party from the South-South geopolitical zone to close ranks and nominate whoever will replace Giadom in the NWC.

He declared that Giadom claim to the position of the acting national chairman of the party remains a nullity because he had resigned his membership of the NWC before now.

Eta thereby maintained that the disqualification of Governor Godwin Obaseki from contesting the Edo state governorship primaries remains irreversible since it has been sealed and ratified by the NWC of the party.

“Giadom must be in a fantasy land to create this kind of scenario. If he was still a very young man, I would have advised him to enrol into the military where he could go-ahead to do a coup and become a sole administrator. But we are in a democracy and in a progressive party like the APC where the rule of law is held in high esteem,” Eta said.

Eta thereby appointed a seven-member headed by Governor Hope Uzordinma of Imo state with Senator Abimbola Bashir as secretary of the Edo State governorship primaries billed to hold on the 22nd of this month.

Among the 15 NWC members in attendance was the national publicity secretary of the party, Lanre Issa-Onilu, the national treasurer, Adamu Fanda, the National women leader, Hajia Salamatu Baiwa, and national organising secretary, Emmanuel Ibediro.