Cross River APC: NWC Overrules SEC, Demands Strict Compliance With Due Process
The crisis in the Cross River State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has entered a new phase as the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) steps in to restore calm and enforce due process following weeks of escalating tensions.
The intervention follows a summons issued by the APC National Legal Adviser, Murtala Aliyu Kankia Esq, directing the State Chairman, Barrister Alphonsus Ogar Eba, to appear before the party’s national leadership over allegations raised by members of the State Executive Committee (SEC). The SEC had recently passed a vote of no confidence on Eba and claimed to have removed him from office.
In a letter dated December 4, 2025, Kankia asked the chairman to appear at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja on Monday, December 8, 2025 at 4 p.m. to respond to the allegations. He explained that the meeting would allow the national leadership to hear directly from Eba and ensure that proper procedures are followed.
The NEC’s move comes amid reports that some SEC members were informed that the political structure backing them no longer supported Eba. His alleged impeachment was dismissed by Eba as unconstitutional and “a joke taken too far.”
Just last month, Eba rejected similar calls for his resignation by the Forum of Chapter Chairmen and Secretaries. The forum had accused him of high-handedness, mismanagement of funds, and nonpayment of stipends to ward and chapter officials.
Eba, however, countered by accusing some chapter chairmen of financial misconduct amounting to more than sixty million naira. He said the party introduced a direct payment system to curb diversion of funds, ensuring stipends and salaries are now paid directly into the accounts of all 5,778 party executives across the state. According to him, salaries of all party officials have already been paid.
He also alleged that some chapter chairmen collect millions of naira monthly from political appointees in their local government areas and receive additional funds from the state government without sharing them with other party officials.
Eba argued that chapter chairmen do not have the constitutional power to demand the resignation of a state chairman. He pointed to Article 21.3 (vi) (d) of the APC Constitution, which places disciplinary authority over a state chairman under the South South Zonal Executive Committee.
With accusations flowing from both sides, the NEC’s intervention is seen as a step toward stabilising the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Eba’s rising profile within the APC has also become a key talking point. He is a central figure in the ongoing APC constitution review committee and was personally nominated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the February 2025 NEC meeting. He serves as the National Secretary of the Forum of APC State Chairmen and represents the South South zone in the constitution review process.
Senior party leaders, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, have described Eba as one of the most active politicians in the country. His influence continues to grow at both state and national levels.
Responding to his purported removal, Eba maintained that the move is politically motivated and will not stand.
“The process is a joke taken too far. God will speak at the appropriate time,” he said.
With the NEC now fully engaged, party stakeholders are hopeful that tensions will ease as efforts are made to restore internal cohesion and guide the chapter toward reconciliation.
