Chaos erupted at an Abia ADC meeting as angry youths loyal to Don Norman Obinna attacked suspended party officials in Umuahia.
Tension erupted at the weekend in Umuahia, Abia State, when youth leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) disrupted a state meeting allegedly organised by suspended officials of the party.
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According to reports, the meeting had barely commenced when the youths stormed the venue, demanding to know why the state chairman, Mr Don Norman Obinna, was absent.
Trouble began when the suspended state secretary, Pastor Uche Ndom, and the national welfare officer, Mr Nkem Ukandu, informed the youths that Obinna had been suspended from the party.
Angered by the statement, the youths reportedly attacked Ndom, tearing his clothes, while Ukandu narrowly escaped being assaulted after fleeing the hall. Witnesses said the suspended secretary was rescued by sympathisers who pleaded with the irate youths to stop the attack.
Before the violence broke out, the protesters were heard chanting solidarity songs such as “Don Norman Obinna cannot build the party and be pushed aside” and “We can’t tolerate this injustice.”
One youth leader, identified as Uche, said the group was angry over what they described as an “injustice” against the chairman.
“Don Norman Obinna has built this party and should be allowed to enjoy the fruits of his labour. You heard them accusing a senator of trying to hijack the party from him,” he said.
When contacted, Mr Don Norman Obinna denied knowledge of any authorised state meeting, insisting that only the state chairman is empowered by the ADC constitution to convene such gatherings.
He downplayed reports of internal crisis, describing the event as the handiwork of “sponsored individuals seeking to hijack the party.”
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Efforts to reach Pastor Uche Ndom and Mr Nkem Ukandu were unsuccessful as calls to their mobile phones were unanswered at the time of filing this report.
