The crisis rocking the Cross River State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken a fresh turn, as the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) moves to restore order and uphold due process.
The intervention followed a formal summons by the APC National Legal Adviser, Murtala Aliyu Kankia, instructing the State Chairman, Alphonsus Eba, to appear before the party’s national leadership in response to allegations levelled by members of the State Executive Committee (SEC).
Naijaonpoint understands that the SEC had earlier passed a vote of no confidence on Eba and claimed to have removed him from office. In his place, Ntufam Ekum Ojogu was unveiled as acting chairman at the party’s secretariat in Calabar.
In a letter dated December 4, 2025, and made available to journalists in Calabar, Kankia directed Eba to appear at the APC National Secretariat, Abuja, on Monday, December 8, 2025, at 4 p.m.
The statement 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.
“In line with the need to clarify the circumstances surrounding the development and to ensure that your response is duly documented, you are invited to a meeting… for the purpose of hearing from you directly and ensuring due process is followed in handling the issues raised.”
The NWC’s move comes amid reports that some SEC members were told that “The System no longer wanted Eba to remain in office. Eba, however, dismissed his purported removal as unconstitutional and a joke taken too far.”
Last month, Eba also rejected resignation calls from the Forum of Chapter Chairmen and Secretaries, who accused him of high-handedness, fund diversion, and non-payment of stipends.
In response, Eba alleged financial misconduct by some officials involving over N60 million. He noted that the party had adopted a direct payment system for all 5,778 executives across the state to prevent fund diversion.
Eba insisted that chapter chairmen lack the constitutional authority to demand his resignation. Citing Article 21.3 (vi) (d) of the APC Constitution, he stressed that only the South South Zonal Executive Committee holds disciplinary oversight of a state chairman.
“They are running away from their shadows,” he said, accusing his opponents of pursuing a politically motivated agenda.
Despite the controversy, Eba remains a prominent figure in the APC, having been nominated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the February 2025 NEC meeting to join the constitution review committee. He also serves as National Secretary of the Forum of APC State Chairmen and represents the South South geopolitical zone in the committee.
Reacting to the unfolding situation, Eba maintained that the action against him “will not stand,” adding: “The process is a joke taken too far. God will speak at the appropriate time.”
With the NWC now stepping in, stakeholders within the party are optimistic that a truce may be brokered soon, as the national leadership seeks to douse tensions and steer the chapter toward reconciliation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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