Scores of female protesters stormed the headquarters of the All Progressives Congress in Abuja on Friday to demand the resignation of the National Women Leader, Dr Mary Alile-Idele.

Alile-Idele was accused of negligence, pursuit of personal interests, and alleged diversion of some parts of the 24,000 wrappers donated by the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, and her delegation when they visited the party secretariat.

Singing solidarity songs and displaying several banners that read, ‘Enough is Enough!’ ‘Mary Alile Resign Now’ and ‘APC Women Leader Must Go,’ the aggrieved women appealed to the First Lady and the National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, to remove her for continually undermining female members of the party.

Alile-Idele became the substantive national women leader after her predecessor, Dr. Betta Edu, was appointed Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (now suspended) by President Bola Tinubu.

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The agitation for her removal comes barely two weeks ago when the First Lady, who was represented by Hajia Nana, the wife of Vice President Kashim Shettima, presented bales of wrappers to Alile and her state women leaders following their outcry the previous week that they had been abandoned by the president despite their contribution to his election victory.

After the donation, Ganduje warned that the women leaders should distribute the fabrics judiciously.

But the protesters led by the Coordinator of ‘Concerned APC Women’, Rebecca Sheneni, told journalists on Friday that it was as if the APC national chairman had a premonition of what would happen, alleging that only 9,000 of the 24,000 fabrics were shared.

The North Central APC member also alleged that rather than pursue a common cause for their benefit, the national women leader has been junketing all over the country promoting the agenda of a pet project in her non-governmental organisation.

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She said, “We, the Concerned APC Women Group, an umbrella body for all female members of the governing APC, deem it necessary and imperative to demand the immediate resignation of Mrs Mary Alile-Idele, the National Women Leader of our party.

“We are concerned that since assuming office, Mrs Mary Alile-Idele has displayed incompetence in her role. She appears to be more focused on promoting her Non-Governmental Organisation rather than the party. This is evident in her recent travels to various states to inaugurate her NGO’s executives, instead of promoting the agenda and manifesto of our party to Nigerian women.

“Furthermore, Her Excellency the First Lady provided her with over 24,000 wrappers to distribute to Women leaders and party members, but she only distributed less than 9,000. Where are the rest? We wonder how a UK-based person with no political experience and no record of membership in our party could be considered for this exalted position.

“She prioritises her personal interests over those of the APC, leading to the nomination of her husband for appointment as a member of the University of Port Harcourt Governing Council and various party assignments.

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“Considering her numerous misdeeds and misconduct, we call for her immediate removal from the position of the APC. She has demonstrated a high level of incompetence and we have had enough.”

Efforts to get the APC national women leader to react to the allegations proved abortive.

As of the time of filing this story, she has not picked up calls or responded to the SMS and WhatsApp messages sent for clarification.

However, the women leader for Imo State, Mrs Patricia Okuebor-Benson, rose to her defence, saying the allegations were not true.

According to her, virtually all their members across the various states have received their fabrics.

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She said, “I am just hearing of this now because nobody told me before. As I speak, the 36 state women leaders and the FCT are in Abuja having a meeting and nobody has accused anybody of anything.

“We don’t know where these women are getting their stories from. I believe every state has received its fabrics. I really don’t know what they are talking about. I think somebody is sponsoring them.”

When contacted, a former lawmaker and women leader in Lagos, Jumoke Okoya-Thomas, declined comment, saying she wasn’t aware of the development and couldn’t speak for any of her principals.

“As you can see, I am not in Abuja. I am in Lagos because there is a very important programme that I have to attend. So there is nothing I can say about it,” she pleaded.

PUNCH

A 5-man delegate/councillorship primary election conducted ahead of the 20th July, 2024, Local Government Area election in Ebonyi State turned out to be chaotic and bloody.

It wss gathered that election in some parts of the state on Friday.

The incident broke out following disagreements from All Progressives Congress, APC, members and those appointed to conduct the election.

Vanguard gathered that some youths sustained varying degrees of injuries on their heads and other parts of their bodies as a result of alleged matchete cuts from hoodlums who infiltrated the venue of the election.

Meanwhile, some youths who pleaded anonymity said there was no election in Ekka ward in Ezza North Local Government area of Ebonyi State.

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Reacting to the development, a stakeholder from Ekka ward and Commissioner for Rural Development, Barr Ikeuwa Omebe debunked the report of violence in his Ward.

Omebe explained that the delegate election was free, fair and credible.

He said, “Well, I am surprised of what you are saying. The election in my Ward was peaceful. People queued behind the aspirant of their Choice while the election went on smoothly. In my presence nothing like that happened. You know youths now, they are on their own.

“Maybe the incident you are talking about took place after the election was conducted. As at when we were there the election was peacefully done. Disagreements will never happen between myself and the Coordinator of my DC.

“As at the time I got to the Venue of the election and after we left, there was nothing like that. The election in my Ward went on peacefully.”

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Also, a councillorship aspirant, Mr. Agbo Sunday from Okposhi Ward I in Ngbo Central of Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State emphasized that there was no election in his Ward as some individuals conspired against the election.

“The Staff of EBSEIC didn’t play his role well. We were about four aspirants who stood in for the election but only the result of one contestant was counted.

“I am calling on Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, the State Chairman of APC, and EBSEIC boss to cancel this election because what happened on the field wasn’t an election.”

Another aspirant, Mr. Igwe Frank Arinze, for Okposhi Ward I Councillorship primary election alleged that the Retuning Officer by the name Friday Onwe, after he counted the votes of one Henry Okpe refused to count his own votes.

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“When the retuning officer realised that those standing behind me were more than those of Mr. Henry Okpe’s, he decided not to count my own. When we asked to know why he did that, he said he was instructed to count only those on Henry Okpe’s line.

“And after counting Henry Okpe’s votes, those that came to conduct the election, rushed into their car and drove off. But before they drove off, the thugs they had prearranged, started attacking my people.

“We had to rush into our car and drove off in order to save our lives. But before we drove off, they attacked my car and damaged some part of it. And so, we managed to drive to 135 to save our lives.

“I want to appeal to Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, APC State Chairman, and the EBSIEC boss to look into this matter and declare me the winner of the election in Okposhi Ward I because it was clear that those standing behind me were about three times more than that of Henry Okpe.

“I have all my evidences. But how can EBSIEC declare someone that didn’t win an election a winner? If you declare the person that didn’t win an election the winner, how can people come out next time to participate for an election,” he added.

The gale of defection in the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) continues on Thursday as another chieftain, a younger brother to state chairman of the party, Clem Aziegbemi resigned from the party.

Aziegbemi, a former spokesperson to Dr. Asue Ighodalo, PDP governorship candidate in the forthcoming election, may not be unconnected to the protracted crisis rocking the party in the state.

In a letter addressed to his ward chairman, PDP Ward 5, Esan South East Local Government Area, Aziegbemi said he resigned because of the crisis and other sundry issues which, according to him, “both the governor and the party’s candidate have failed to address these issues, begging for attention ”

Aziegbemi’s resignation letter reads: “The cause of this massive defection of members from the PDP is largely due to the conquest attitude of the Partly Leadership that lacks inclusivity of members into appointments in the state that the party loyalists worked for, yet they were abandoned for new entrants.

“The old PDP members, to whom I belong, have suffered a great deal at the hands of the party leadership and those in government.

“If this ugly development continues, it will be extremely difficult for the party to win any local government seats in Edo State’s September 21, 2024, governorship election.

“Another disturbing issue is the seeming hijack of the PDP governorship candidate by a gang of political jobbers, as against those of us who laboured for him to emerge as candidate of the Party.

“Kindly consider this as my resignation from every party responsibility, including my position as one of the spokepersons to the governorship candidate.

“Also, this serves as a formal resignation as a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Edo State, His Excellency Godwin Obaseki.”