Crisis rocks Enugu APC, as Nnamani, Onyeama, others demand sack of State Exco

There is a major crisis rocking the Enugu state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), even as major stakeholders from the state led by the former Senate President Ken Nnamani, current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geofrey Onyeama among other stakeholders demanded the sack of the state APC chairman Ugochukwu Agballah.

The stakeholders, who met the APC national chairman at the party’s national secretariat, Tuesday in Abuja, also demanded an interim executive of the party in Enugu state.

Other stakeholders listed in the petition submitted to the national chairman include former governor of Enugu state, Sullivan Chime, General Okoloagu, Sen. Ayogu Eze, Chief Gbazuagu Nweke, Barr. Eugene Odo, Barr. Ifeanyi Nwoga, Chief Onyemuche Nnamani and Osita Okechukwu.

The petition read: “The party in Enugu state recorded an unprecedented milestone of reinvention of itself during the last membership registration exercise.

“The party rebounded in goodwill as membership soared and the Party continued on this positive trend into the ward and local government congresses and was cruising towards taking away the shine from the ruling party in the State.

“A major crack however emerged during the State Congress, when Mr. Ugochukwu Agballah was surreptitiously manoeuvred into the party to become its State Chairman to the bewilderment and vehement opposition of a majority of the Party members who knew his antecedents as a person and in Enugu State politics..

“The Chairman may wish to recall that as Chairman of All Progressive Congress National Peace and Reconciliation Committee that H.E Sallivan Chime, immediate past Governor of Enugu State had led a protest of stakeholders/elders of Enugu State All Progressive Congress Chapter against the emergence of Ugo Agaballah as State Chairman on two grounds: (1) Non-membership of Ugo Agballah and (2) Controversial and irregular process of Ugo Agballah’s emergence as State Chairman.

“Ugo Agballah was given the benefit of the doubt by a few leaders of the Party and issued a Certificate of Return. It was felt by those few leaders that the Party needed to change direction at all cost and have a vibrant leader who could finally unite the Party in the State. Unfortunately, the new Chairman did not waste time in proving those majority leaders who opposed his emergence correct in their warning.

“He immediately systematically dismantled the core of the Party structure and brought in his followers. He insulted the Party leaders, including those few who supported his emergence, sidelined them completely in matters affecting the running of the Party in the State and has been operating as a Sole Administrator or indeed a Dictator! The result has been the withdrawal from the Party of a growing number of important leaders and members.

“The Party is imploding and on the brink of imminent collapse. It is in no position as things stand, to be competitive in the General Elections. The leaders now believe that a radical solution is called for to save the State Party from total collapse and disgrace in the State.

“The aim is to unify the party through the appointment of a Caretaker Chairman as the current Chairman has alienated and lost the confidence of the majority of the members of the State Party and its leadership.

“Very importantly, it should be noted that he has been lawfully removed by his Udi/Agbudu ward of Udi LGA of Enugu State on the 19th day of August, 2022 by an overwhelming majority of party members in his ward. A copy of the resolution is hereby attached.

“This petition is written with a view of notifying the National Chairman and National Working Committee of APC of the state of affairs of our great party in Enugu State. As elders of the party in the state, we strongly believe that it is our duty to bring these anomalies to your attention for urgent remedial action. A stitch in time saves nine!”

The stakeholders, however, demanded an urgent intervention by the national chairman.

“We urge the NWC to immediately save the party in Enugu State from total collapse by removing Mr. Ugochukwu Agballa from office and in his place put a Caretaker Chairman who should be someone not within the present State Executive Committee. The party still stands a chance of remedying the situation and being competitive in the General Elections.”

But swiftly reacting to the allegations, the state Chairman, Agballah said the leadership of the party in the state has always worked for the PDP and has not added value to the party.

Agballah said, “To work with these men is to hand over our winning strategies to PDP as President Buhari found out belatedly in 2019 to his utter regret for it is only in Enugu that APC returned 2percent. PDP knows we are sending them out of Lion building come 2023. Since my assumption of office and Nomination of the governorship and other solid candidates our membership has grown by over 700 percent and is growing daily.”

He said, “First from the day the convention ended I and Chief Uche Nnaji APC governorship candidate for Enugu State have been on tour of the 260 wards in Enugu State. We have not wasted one day.

“Prior to Uche Nnaji’s nomination nobody has ever given a dime to any ward. None of these eminent personalities have ever contributed one dime to the party at the State, local ward, zonal or national level.

None of them have been seen in their wards. Chief Nnaji have been sponsoring ward, LGA and State meetings since he indicated interest to run as governorship candidate.

“The truth is that we the State Executive asked all leaders and stakeholders to relocate from Abuja and go and strengthen their wards and none agreed. They want me to be holding meetings with them in Abuja unfortunate I have relocated to the wards and have visited almost 180 wards as of today. As of this minute am sending my report from Olo ward in Ezeagu LGA.

“These eminent personalities and public office holders are mostly unknown in their various wards and do not participate in any APC activity in their various wards no wonder none of them won their respective polling booths in. 2015 and 2019. If they did so I challenge them to present the result sheet to the press. I also challenge them to present evidence of their attendance in any meeting of their wards since Oct 2021 when I was elected State Chairman and when I insisted every stakeholder and takeholders should attend ward and LG A meetings.

“These eminent personalities are all APC in Abuja and PDP in Enugu no wonder none of them have never publicly condemned the bad performaning Ebeano cabal that has ruled Enugu for 23 years. Let them show or refer the press to a media report where they have ever done so.

“Every election year they create crisis . They did it to Nwoye few months to 2015 election and repeated it in 2019 election. These are comprador PDP in the night APC in the morning members.

“That was why these great leaders could only return 2% of total votes cast in 2019 elections. And they are at it again but they forget I have more experience than them all and will not succumb to their unnecessary distractions. My eyes are on the ball.”