No faction in Enugu APC, says Ganduje

The national Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has declared that the party has no parallel executive in Enugu State, stressing that Mr Ugochukwu Agballah remains the state chairman.

Justice C.V.C. Ezeugwu of the Enugu State High Court had on August 9, issued an injunction restraining Ugochukwu Agballah from parading himself as the chairman of APC in the state.

Also included in the restraining order in suit No: E/548/2024, are: Augustine Alumonah, Jude Chinedu Aniogbo, Moses Emeka Eze, Sunday Ugwoke, Ugwu Christian Kanayo, Eze Chidiebere Johnson, Queen Charles, Onyekachi T. Ezeagu, and Idoko Chikadibia, who were barred from parading as party officials.

The injunction was granted in response to a suit filed by Nwafor Onyeachonam, Acting State Chairman of the APC in Enugu State, and other party executives, who sought to prevent Agballah and others from claiming leadership positions within the party.

However, in a statement released on Sunday after the Enugu State APC stakeholders meeting held at the party’s Secretariat on Saturday, the national Chairman represented by the Deputy National Chairman, South, Chief Emma Eneukwu, described the purported suspension of Agballah-led State Executive Committee of the party as a nullity.

Ganduje stated that the National Secretariat of the party is aware that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party was in the business of igniting a crisis in the party by using some members to render it weak and unable to mount serious opposition to the ruling party in the state.

He said, “There is no faction in Enugu APC. I’m the Deputy National Chairman, in the South, and nobody becomes state Chairman in the South without my knowledge. The national chairman I’m representing does not know any other person as state chairman other than Chief Ugochukwu Agballah.

“There are people who go to Enugu State Government House to make sure APC is destabilized at all times. It has always been their stock in trade. And they do this usually close to any election.

“The National secretariat is frowning at it and making sure it will stop it so that it will not happen again.

“I can assure you that the National Secretariat does not even know there is any problem in Enugu APC. It was when I landed in Enugu this morning that I started hearing about one group. But the National Chairman recognizes Agballah as state Chairman of APC.”

In the meeting attended by Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji and other notable bigwigs of the party, Ganduje directed those who announced purported suspension, to retrace their steps, apologise and return to the party.

He, however, pleaded with the party’s teeming members not to be distracted “because that’s what they want.”

“In the same vein, I urge Agballah and the stakeholders in the state, if any one of them becomes repentant let’s bring them back. We are building a party to win the election, as we still need everyone on board,” he counselled.

In a communique read at the end of the meeting by Senator Chuka Utazi, the party “upheld the suspension of 20 members who participated in dragging the party to court and the purported suspension of the state Chairman without exhausting internal party mechanism as provided in the Party’s Constitution.”

The stakeholders affirmed that it will fully participate in the Enugu State Local Government Election slated for October 5, 2024.

“The meeting frowned at the recent display of gross indiscipline and total disregard to the APC Constitution by some misguided party members who met in a hotel and purportedly announced the suspension of the Enugu state Chairman of APC, The Hon. Ugochukwu H. Agballah and others…

“The stakeholders hereby accept the recommendations of the Disciplinary Committee suspending the actors from the party.The Enugu APC stakeholders thanked Ndigbo for not participating in the recent protest against the government of President Bola Tinubu, and expressed absolute confidence in the “Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President.”

They said, “The stakeholders sent hearty congratulations to the Governor of Imo State, H.E Sen. Hope Uzodinma over his resounding victory at the Supreme Court in the PDP and Labour Party suit challenging his re-reelection. The stakeholders further commend him for his outstanding leadership of the party in the South East zone.”

Efforts made by our correspondent to get the reaction of the state chapter of the PDP were unsuccessful as the party’s Chairman, Augustine Nnamani didn’t take his calls or respond to text messages sent to him for communication