The crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress on Thursday took a new twist as the Imo State chapter on the party rejected Lanre Issa-Onilu as the National Publicity Secretary.

A statement issued by APC publicity secretary in Imo State, Onwuasoanya, said that Issa-Onilu of the party did not meet the criteria to occupy the position.

The statement said that going by the constitution of the party, the only person who is legally qualified to speak for the party as the national publicity secretary .

The statement read, “It is important to inform the general public that a certain Lanre Issa-Onilu, who parades himself as the National Publicity Secretary of our great party, is not and will not be recognised as such.

“This position is drawn from the provisions of the All Progressives Congress Constitution (October 2014 as amended),which clearly stated how officers of the party may emerge in Article 20(a) thus:

“All party posts prescribed or implied by this Constitution shall be filled by Democratically conducted elections at the respective National Convention or Congress subject, where possible, to consensus, provided that where a candidate has emerged by consensus for an elective position, a vote of “Yes” or “No” by ballot or voice shall be called, to ensure that it was not an imposition which could breed discontent and crisis.

“Going by the provision of our constitution as quoted above, the only person who has the constitutional right to speak for our party at the national level is Mr. Yekini Nabena, who is the duly elected Assistant National Publicity Secretary and who has to, in line with the provisions of our constitution, act as the National Publicity Secretary, following the resignation of the duly elected National Publicity Secretary