Pandemonium broke out on Wednesday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) Delta South women’s meeting in Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area, following a heated dispute over the alleged hijack of more than N50 million ‘kola-nut’ funds.
The money, reportedly donated by politicians and government appointees from the senatorial district to support transportation and refreshment allowances for participants, was said to have been cornered by top women leaders of the party.
Trouble started when delegates from the eight local government areas of Delta South demanded accountability and transparency in the disbursement of the funds.
Eyewitnesses told PLATFORM TIMES that the refusal of some APC women leaders to disclose the exact amount collected sparked a protest that soon degenerated into a violent confrontation.
The situation quickly spiraled out of control as angry women reportedly vandalised vehicles parked within the secretariat premises, smashing windscreens and forcing some meeting conveners to flee for safety.
An APC women leader from one of the councils, visibly enraged, accused both the State APC Women Leader and her Delta South counterpart of conspiring to hijack the funds.
“This is shameful and disgraceful. Our leaders collected money donated by our sons and daughters in government, yet they connived and diverted it. Instead of sharing with all women who attended, they pocketed everything. What did women do to women?” she lamented.
A former PDP women leader, now in APC, also faulted the development, attributing it to what she called the “money politics” that accompanied the defection of several PDP stalwarts into the APC.
“APC in Delta has never seen this kind of money before. Since PDP collapsed into APC, huge sums flow into meetings and leaders hijack them. This same drama happened last month during the men’s meeting where dollars vanished,” she alleged.
The incident mirrors a similar clash in June during the Delta South APC Unity and Stakeholders meeting, where $50,000 meant for kola-nut and logistics reportedly vanished under controversial circumstances.
