Ken Nnamani, Chime, Oyeama said they shunned Tinubu’s rally because of crisis rocking the APC in Enugu
By Emma Ogbuehi
Crisis in the Enugu state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), boiled over on Wednesday when leading members of the party boycotted Presidential campaign rally of Ahmed Bola Tinubu in the state.
Among the stakeholders that shunned the rally which took place at Okpara Square were Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, former Enugu Governor, Sullivan Chime, former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Eugene Odoh, former Secretary to the State Government, Chief Onyemuche Nnamani.
Also absent were the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, the immediate past chairman of the Party in the State, Ben Nwoye and a presidential aide, Mrs. Juliet Ibekaku.
They were at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu earlier in the day to welcome the presidential candidate of the party Tinubu and disappeared from there to Chime’s residence in Enugu.
Briefing journalists, Chime disclosed that the stakeholders were at the airport to receive the Presidential candidate but because of the internal issue they had with the state chairman Chief Ugochukwu Agballah they would not appear at the venue properly for rally.
He said that their absence at the rally was to send a clear signal to the national leadership of the APC that something urgently must be done over the crisis in the Enugu State chapter of the party.
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While calling on the national leadership to address the Enugu crisis, Chime recalled that they had on account of the matter, led a peaceful protest to the National Secretariat in Abuja, adding however that nothing had been done about it till now
Chime said; “we received our guber candidate at the Airport. We believe in him, he is the best. However, we are not there at Okpara square because of internal crisis within the party in Enugu state. The party had been in disarray, since the imposition of someone who is not a member of the party as the chairman.
“The party leaders went to Abuja, complained but nobody took them seriously, the issues continued. So, we have to distance ourselves from the local chapter of the party.
“We will ensure that he gets more than the required 25 percent. Enugu must be counted” he assured.
He also complained that the governorship candidate of the party and the deputy were from the same senatorial zone nothing that it had never happened since the history of democracy in the state.
The former governor said they would all work hard to ensure APC’s victory during the general election but they were left with no option than to distance themselves from such illegal act.
Also, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, while expressing anger, regretted that the party had been hijacked by an external body from Imo state.
He lamented that the imposed party chairman in the state and the governorship candidate were running the party like sole administrators.
Also contributing, former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Odo, said that the chairman’s attitude was the reason why stakeholders boycotted the rally.
Notwithstanding the internal crisis in the party, Tinubu for support from the South East support, assuring that he would make Igboland an industrial hub if elected.
He said that Nigeria is a blessed country and that her citizens have no business running to foreign countries for greener pastures.
“Those who are running to overseas are suffer, suffer. We have been there. Anybody who tells you that you cannot do something, pray you can do it,” he said.
