Old APC Members Not Sidelined in Ebonyi, Umahi Replies Ex-Commissioner

Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki

The Ebonyi State Governor, Mr. David Umahi, has denied allegations leveled against him by a former Commissioner for Works and Transport, Mr. Paul Okorie, that old members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were being sidelined since the governor defected to the party.

Umahi noted in a statement that was issued by his Spokesman, Mr. Francis Nwaze, that it might be possible that the former commissioner chose to sideline himself from government and party activities in the state.

The governor said: “There is no iota of truth in the claim that members of the old APC are sidelined in the scheme of things rather, there is a possibility of ‘sidelining by self.’

“Usually, during the convocation of government or party programs and activities, members and stakeholders are always widely invited including via the radio, television, print, and social media.

“Invitations to meetings and other activities of the party in the state are normally publicised with cardinal emphasis on ‘former commissioners who are still members of APC’ and so on.” 

The governor added that since his defection to the APC, no old member could be said to have been sidelined when some of them were strategically integrated in his government.

“The old APC members in the state cannot be said to be sidelined when some of them are strategically integrated into the running of the business of the state. For the avoidance of doubt, the former State Chairman of the APC, Pastor Eze Nwachukwu Eze, who is also the Commissioner for Inter-Governmental Affairs; Commissioner for Education, Dr. Sunday Nwangele, and a host of others are members of the old APC,” Umahi explained.

He, therefore, called on the general public to disregard the allegation of sidelining old APC members in the state as that only exists in the imagination of the person making such claims.