Crisis rocking the Enugu State chapter of the All progressives Congress (APC), took another dimension over the weekend, following the voiding of the purported expulsion as well as suspension from the party of Nnamani, Chime, Onyeama and other prominent and foundation party leaders in the state.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Crisis rocking the Enugu State chapter of the All progressives Congress (APC), took another dimension over the weekend, following the voiding of the purported expulsion as well as suspension from the party of some prominent and foundation party leaders in the state. The latest action signals a deep crack in the State Working Committee of the party.
The state secretary of the party, Robert Ngwu, had on Thursday April, 6 announced the expulsion of former Governor Sullivan Chime; former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Eugene Odoh; Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu; former commissioner for Tourism, Ozor Joe Mmamel; Special Assistant to Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Flavour Eze; and former House of Representatives candidate in 2019, Maduka Arum (aka Mama).
Those announced as suspended are; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; and former Senate President, Ken Nnamani.
But in another contradictory move, the State publicity secretary of the party, Charles Solo-Ako in a press briefing, on Saturday, described the announcement as a reckless show of brigandage, an assault on the party’s constitution and an exercise in futility.
According to Vanguard, Ako said that what the state party chairman, Ugochukwu Agballah and the secretary, Ngwu, did was an ambush on the rest of the State Working Committee members of the APC in Enugu State and to their utter surprise.
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He disclosed that there was no petition from anybody against the leaders, nor were their different wards involved, either to have deliberated on such matter, apportioned any blame or referred any such matter to the state level of the party, contrary to the party’s constitution.
In support of Ako’s disclosure, the Udi/Agbudu ward in Udi local local government council area, where ex-Governor Chime, Chief Flavour Eze and the state party chairman, Agballah, hail from, have passed vote of confidence on Chime and Eze, repudiated Agballah and washed their hands of any case of disciplinary measure against Chime and Eze.
The Udi/Agbudu ward chairman, Ferdinand Aduma and ward secretary, Chukwuma Onyia, in the letter said, “We the members of Udi/Agbudu Ward in Udi LGA, hereby pass vote of confidence on our leaders: HE. Sullivan Chime and Chief Flavour Eze. HE. Sullivan Chime and Chef Flavour Eze are foremost leaders and stakeholders in our ward.
“We wish to inform the members of our party and the general public that our leaders– HE. Sullivan Chime and Chief Flavour Eze are very committed and supportive members of our great party – All Progressives Congress, APC, in our ward.
“We are surprised to hear that the state has expelled them from our party. We totally condemn such act taken by the State without recourse to his ward. We therefore exonerate ourselves from such unconstitutional action taken against our leader whom all of us look up to. All the party organs are by this notice advised to disregard such purported suspension.”
Speaking against the act of the state chairman, Agballah, the state Publicity secretary, Ako said it was unfortunate Agballah arrogated himself to a sole administrator of the party, stressing that the purported suspension or expulsions were never discussed at the ward or state levels of the party until their sudden announcement.
“The state executive members of the party who raised objection at such sudden decision were cajoled. The state working committee members were invited as spectators and no committee was set up to investigate the matter.
“There are levels of anti-party activities; when a state chairman dispersed members who are supposed to canvass for votes for the party and the chairman refused for the party to fill candidates that can win election in places such as Nkanu East and Nkanu west, what other form of anti-party can be worse than these?
“What Ugochukwu Agballah did was a predetermined rigging against the APC and in favour of the other parties. As a chairman he did not vote, so who else could have voted for our party, while he never canvassed for Bola Tinubu.
“The purported suspension of our party leaders did not follow due process at all because it did not emanate from the wards and no Committee was set up to look at any petition. His action was dictatorial and absurd. Ugochukwu Agballah should resign because he said he will resign if the APC loses election in the state.
“He should resign because the party recorded lesser number of votes far below what we got in the 2019 election. He should resign for his incompetence, nepotism and other acts that made the party lose woefully in the 2023 elections,” Ako demanded.