The Campaign for Democracy (CD), South-East Chapter has responded to a newspaper story which claimed that it was not part of the national body’s convention.

The chairman of the group in South-East, Mr David Kalu, in a statement issued in Enugu stated thus: “Our attention has been drawn to a publication of an article titled “CD Faction seeks Transparent Rights Body” on page 5, of the Nation Newspaper of Tuesday, March 22, 2016.

“In the said article the CD faction kicked against the perceived lack of transparency in its affairs by the Dr Joe Odumankin and Solomon Soboade leadership.”

According to Kalu, “The faction which has its leadership as follows: National coordinator Ifeanyi Odili, Acting National Secretary Adewusi Adepoju and Dede Uzor A. Uzor, Chairman South East; indicated that the leadership of CD has not accounted for funds expended in nine years which is also the period that Odumankin and Soboade stayed in office.

“Going by the said article, Ifeanyi Odili who spoke to the press on behalf of others made an important statement that needs to be re-examined. ‘The truth is that CD is the only organisation in Nigeria that we have seen rendering expenditure without income we heard that N19 million was spent on this, a million spent on that, but what are the sources of these funds, we deserve to know.’

“Odili went ahead to stress that the stewardship rendered to the members was suspicious because despite the millions claimed to have been spent and CD has no office. Odili then questioned how can they tell us they spend N19 million to do the remembrance of Beko Ransome Kuti and Kudirat Abiola every year?

“Then Odili lamented ‘if they actually loved Beko as they claimed, why did the CD not issue a statement when his son, a Brigadier was sentenced to death?’

“According to Odili for years now, CD has kept quiet on burning national issues, yet the body generates money. So where does the money go to.

“Odili indicated that ‘A once vibrant CD can no longer find its voice amid injustice in the country. Definitely, we need to reorganise the CD, otherwise some of us will breakaway.’

Kalu responding to Odili’s claims stated that, “We the members and leadership of CD in the South East, see this development as a healthy one. Since 2012 After the programme hosted by the Africa child Policy Forum, the CD south-east led by Comrade David Kalu raised an alarm on the corrupt manner by which the affairs of the CD was being ran by Joe Odumankin and Solomon Soboade administration.

“The alarm was based on the observation made during the meeting in Abuja and because of the issues raised during the meeting in the night which the programme ended, Comrade David Kalu was nearly fought mostly by Solomon Soboade, Ifeanyi Odili and others, only few of the CD leadership at the meeting that did not attack him.

“On the allegation made by Ifeanyi Odili that N19 million was said to be spent on the remembrance of Beko Ransome Kuti and Alhaja Kudirat Abiola and yet the source of the money is not known, we hereby call on the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to investigate this allegations of non-accountability in the CD, as it can be recalled that when Comrade Kalu wrote the article ‘Campaign for Democracy (CD) and the Deceptive Leadership in the Organisation’ and questioned the management of the CD, the first thing that Odumankin did was to visit the EFCC chairman then.

Kalu continued, “In as much as we welcome the new development for accountability in CD, we will also want to state clearly that the CD in the South East does not recognise the CD faction led by Ifeanyi Odili and our reason is based on the following; that the so called faction of the CD is what should be called ‘them-them’ because they are the same people that opposed us when we asked for transparency in the CD.

“We made it clear before the so called convention through a press statement that any decision from the convention without the input of the CD South East will not be acceptable by us.

“We equally made it clear that Uzor A. Uzor is not and will never be the chairman of CD south East as his activities go contrary to the aims and objectives of the CD. One of such activity was when Uzor A. Uzor took a pregnant woman to a hotel and during sex marathon, the woman died and up till today Uzor has not denied the story, that means it is true and one with such character cannot be a leader in an organisation as CD.

“We are even shocked that Odumakin and Uzor will ever part ways, because Odumakin has been the one backing Uzor in the atrocities that he has been using the name of CD to act in the Southeast.

“As earlier stated CD need a new focus and should have a new leadership of people that will move it forward.

“Based on all these as stated above, there is no yet leadership in the CD and in no distant time, we will organise a national convention of the CD that will produce a leadership that will give CD a better focus.”

•Photo shows Joe Odumankin.

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