APC National Leadership Intervenes as Cross River Crisis Intensifies

The internal crisis rocking the Cross River State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has escalated, prompting the party’s National Working Committee to take direct action in an effort to restore order and enforce due process.

The intervention follows a formal summons issued by the APC National Legal Adviser, Murtala Aliyu Kankia, asking the State Chairman, Alphonsus Eba, to appear before the national leadership over allegations levelled against him by members of the State Executive Committee.

The SEC had recently passed a vote of no confidence on Eba, declaring him removed from office and immediately unveiling Ntufam Ekum Ojogu as the acting state chairman at the party secretariat in Calabar. Eba has rejected the purported removal as unconstitutional.

In a letter dated December 4, 2025, and made available to journalists on Friday in Calabar, Kankia directed Eba to appear at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja on Monday, December 8, by 4 p.m. The National Legal Adviser noted that the meeting would provide the national leadership an opportunity to hear directly from the embattled chairman and thoroughly review the allegations.

The letter read in part:
“I write to formally notify you of a meeting scheduled to address the vote of no confidence passed on you by members of the Cross River State Executive Committee. The meeting is convened strictly for the purpose of hearing from you directly and ensuring due process is followed in handling the issues raised by the State Executive Committee.”

The crisis stems from rising factional tensions, with reports suggesting that some members were informed that “The System” no longer supported Eba’s continued stay in office. His removal was dismissed by him as a politically motivated attempt lacking legitimacy.

Eba has also faced pressure from the Forum of Chapter Chairmen and Secretaries, who previously accused him of high-handedness, diversion of party funds, and non-payment of stipends to ward and chapter officials. He denied the allegations, countering that some critics were involved in financial misconduct amounting to over ₦60 million.

He explained that the party had since adopted a direct payment system, which ensures that stipends and salaries are paid directly into the accounts of all 5,778 party executives across the state to prevent diversion by chapter leaders.

Eba further argued that chapter chairmen lack constitutional authority to demand the resignation of a state chairman, citing Article 21.3 (vi) (d) of the APC Constitution, which places disciplinary oversight of a state chairman under the South South Zonal Executive Committee.

The NWC’s intervention is seen as a crucial step toward de-escalating the crisis ahead of the 2027 general elections. Stakeholders believe the national leadership may now enforce a truce and guide the chapter toward reconciliation.