APC apologizes for inviting dead Army General, Supreme Court Justice to stakeholders meeting

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Cross River State has apologised after wrongly listing a deceased Army General and a serving Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria among stakeholders invited to a meeting with Governor Bassey Edet Otu.

The party specifically apologized to the family of late Major General Edward Ushie Unimna, whose name appeared on the invitation despite his death and burial in 2025.

It also apologised to Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim, Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Offiong Offiong, Prof. Francisca Bassey of the University of Cross River State and Chief Magistrate David Edogi for wrongly listing them as APC stakeholders.

The apology followed public outrage across Cross River State and on social media after the party circulated a list of invitees to its stakeholders’ meeting with the governor.

In a statement titled ‘APC Stakeholders’ Pre-Congress Meeting with the Governor of Cross River State’, dated February 15, 2026, and signed by the state Publicity Secretary, Emmanuel Edem Inyang, the party admitted the error and withdrew the affected names.

“The leadership of the APC Cross River State Chapter hereby notifies its members, stakeholders, and the general public that certain names included in the earlier list circulated in connection with the forthcoming stakeholders’ meeting were published in error and should therefore be disregarded,” the statement said.

It added: “Accordingly, the underlisted individuals are hereby formally removed from the list. The party sincerely tenders its unreserved apologies for this oversight and regrets any inconvenience this may have caused.”

Earlier, the party had invited Justice Agim and other prominent figures to the meeting scheduled for February 16, 2026, at the Calabar International Convention Centre, sparking criticism over the inclusion of judicial officers and non-partisan public officials.

The appearance of the late General Unimna’s name further deepened public concern, with many questioning the credibility and verification process behind the invitation list.

The inclusion of vice chancellors also drew scrutiny, as federal university heads often serve as Returning Officers in national elections, raising concerns about maintaining neutrality and public confidence in electoral processes.