Nnamani, Onyeama, Chime, Eze, Okechukwu, Others Petition Adamu, Want Enugu Exco Dissolved

•Agballah: I won’t succumb to distractions from Abuja politicians

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The crisis rocking the Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, peaked after some chieftains of the party met with their National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja, where they demanded a dissolution of the state exco.

They also demanded the setting up of a Caretaker committee to pilot the affairs of the party in the state, going forward.

But the party chairman in the state, Ugochukwu Agballah, has said he would not succumb to unnecessary distractions from people he dismissed as Abuja politicians, adding that, the so-called party chieftains were merchants not even known at the Wards levels.

However, leader of the delegation and former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani, submitted a petition to Adamu, titled: “An appeal and petition for urgent intervention to rescue the APC party in Enugu from its downward spiral, implosion and imminent collapse.”

Other party chieftains at the meeting included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geofrey Onyeama; former Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime; former APC governorship candidate in the state, Senator Ayogu Eze; Director General, Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu; former  Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Eugene Odo, and Gbazuagu Nweke Gbazuagu,  among others.

The APC stakeholders said the party in Enugu has recorded an unprecedented milestone of reinventing itself during the last membership registration exercise.

They said 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.

The petition read: “A major crack, however, emerged during the state congress, when Mr. Ugochukwu Agballah was surreptitiously maneuvered 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 stakeholders reminded  Adamu that when he was made the  Chairman of APC National Peace and Reconciliation Committee, the former  governor of Enugu State, Chime  led a protest of stakeholders/elders of Enugu State APC against the emergence of  Agaballah as State Chairman.

The stakeholders said Chime led the protest on two grounds: non-membership of Agballah and the controversial and irregular process of 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 petition added.

However, responding, Agballah said the so-called party chieftains were merchants not even known at the Wards levels, adding that, prior to his  assumption of office and nomination of Chief Uche Nnaji as governorship candidate, nobody had ever visited or campaigned in any of the wards above.

Stressing that himself and Nnaji had been on tour of the 260 wards in Enugu State, Agballah said, “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 has been seen in their wards. Chief Nnaji has 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.

“Unfortunately, I have relocated to the wards and have visited almost 180 wards as of today. As of this minute, I 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.”

Agballah, therefore, challenged the party chieftains to present evidence of their attendance in any meeting of their Wards and local government meetings since October 2021 when he emerged the State Chairman.