A former Chairman of Esan South East, Mr. Joseph Ikpea, and an in-law to ex-Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Mr. Victor Eboigbe, are battling for the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the council.
Some members of the APC in the locality loyal to Ikpea claimed that they removed Eboigbe as party leader in Esan South East.
They said Eboigbe was foisted on them during the administration of Oshiomhole.
However, when Ikpea led his faction to intimate the State APC Chairman, Anselm Ojezua, of the removal of Eboigbe, they were reportedly threatened with sanction.
Ojezua was said to have warned that he would not allow factionalisation in the APC in any council.
Ojezua denied threatening Ikpea and his group with sanctions or suspension.
He said he only told them to resolve issues using the party’s organ and not to create factions within the APC.
He said: “It is not true I threatened to suspend all of them. I told them that if there are issues they should use the party’s organ to settle their differences and that we will not encourage faction within the party.
“I told him that anybody that starts a faction of the party in the locality, we will descend on them. Faction can destroy a party. We will not encourage any faction in this party. I am only interested in the leader of my council. Whoever is the leader of that local government rests with the leaders and members of that locality. We will never accept faction.”