Rivers ACN crisis deepens, chairman suspended

• Africcon News
  Africcon Report: Rivers ACN crisis deepens, chairman suspended
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  THE crisis rocking the Action Congress of Nigeria, Rivers State chapter, took a fresh turn on Tuesday, with the suspension of the party’s acting Chairman, Mr. Esuku Esuku.
  
  Esuku, who on Monday announced the suspension of four principal officers of the party, was accused of collecting a sum of N4m from the state government with a view to wooing members of the ACN in readiness for the registration of the All Progressives Congress.
  
  In a statement by the State Secretary of the ACN, Mr. Amonibia Akoko, and Chairman of the Chairmen Forum, Mr. Hope Onyeche, the party said Esuku had been directed by the state government to hire a campaign officer.
  
  It added that the suspended acting chairman of the opposition party in the state also collected the sum of N8m from Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission for the conduct of local government election.
  
  The statement read, “By these actions, Mr. Esuku has demonstrated that he is contemptible, selfish, a non-serious party man, and someone that should not be trusted by the people.
  
  “The party views Mr. Esuku?s action of accepting bribe from the Rivers State Government as unhealthy and not in the spirit of the ACN philosophy, and will therefore, not hesitate to treat it seriously.
  
  “The party therefore, in its emergency meeting today (Tuesday) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, considered it expedient and resolved to suspend Mr. Esuku from the party in accordance with the rules, regulations and relevant statutory provisions of the party’s constitution.”
  
  The state ACN, however, refuted the statement credited to Esuku, which purportedly suspended some principal officers of the party, including the National Treasurer, Mr. Kenneth Kobani, and state Publicity Secretary, Jerry Needam, describing it as false and misleading.
  
  When contacted, Esuku dismissed his purported suspension, saying he still remained the chairman of the party in the state.
  
  On the allegation that he was working for the state government to register members into the APC, Esuku said he had nothing to do with Amaechi and his administration.