More reactions have trailed the reported expulsion of the former chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Enugu State, Barr. Ben Nwoye and five others by the Ugo Agballa-led APC in the State.
DAILY POST reports that the State congress of the party, which was held last year, produced two factions, one led by Barr. Ugo Agballa and another led by Comrade Adolphus Ude.
However, the outgone national caretaker committee of the party later presented a certificate of return to Agballa, prompting aggrieved members to file litigations in various courts.
There have been underground efforts to reconcile the warring parties but all that appears to have become futile with the latest development.
It could be recalled that the Agballa-led APC while announcing their expulsion, accused Nwoye and five others of anti-party activities. https://dailypost.ng/2022/05/04/enugu-apc-crisis-worsens-as-ex-chairman-nwoye-flays-reported-expulsion/
Nwoye, however, waved it aside, describing their purported expulsion as a non-issue, as according to him, a non-member had no right to expel bonafide members.
Similarly, in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Thursday in Enugu, Ude said it was shocking that at a time concerned members were making efforts to unite the party, Agballa was busy throwing spanners.
He said faithful members of the APC in Enugu State were shocked “to hear the news of the expulsion of the pillars of the party in the State by a purported State chairman of the party, Hon Barr. Ugochukwu Agballa.
Ude, who is leading mainstream members of the APC in Enugu State, said that “by this action, Barr. Agballa is openly trying to frustrate the efforts of the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who is working assiduously to unify the fragmented party.”
He re-echoed Nwoye’s claims that “Agballah is not a member of the party, so he has no right to expel anybody.”
He added that “this reckless action by Agballa has proven that he does not have the interest of the party at heart.
“At this time that all other parties are mobilizing their members to organize primaries and prepare for the electioneering campaign, Agballa is busy looking for who to expel.
“Many States do not have people in the national caucus of the party, but Agballa had the temerity to expel Group Captain Joe Orji (rtd), a former governor and member of the national caucus of the APC.
“Agballa, who claimed he entered the party last year also purportedly expelled foundation members and pillars of the party like the celebrated former State chairman of the party, Dr. Ben Nwoye and others.
“These were the people who labored under the sun and the rain to nurture the party to the present attractive state that Agballah, widely known as a pathological gold digger, had to leave his inconsequential role in the PDP in search of a job in APC.”
He said it was quite curious that Agballa displayed a high disregard for the APC constitution and the fundamental human rights of individuals “as he also expelled Barr. Chukwudi Igwe for doing his professional job as a lawyer by instituting a case for a client against him (Agballah).
“Nowhere in the world is a person restricted from practicing his profession because of his party affiliations. Agballah should know this as a lawyer.
“Chief Ocho Obodoeze, a grassroots mobilizer and a major financier of APC in Enugu State was also expelled for doing nothing.”
He recalled that the present National Chairman of APC, Sen Abdulahi Adamu, in his former position as the chairman of the APC Peace and Reconciliation Committee “made various recommendations aimed at bringing peace amongst the different factions of the party in Enugu State. Agballa jettisoned those good ideas and is ruling the party like a Czar.”
Comrade Udeh said “these are the damages the party is suffering because the Buni led Caretaker Committee decided to foist a stranger on the party in Enugu even as notable voices like Sen. Dr Ken Nnamani (GCON), former governors: H.E. Barr. Sullivan Chime and Group Captain Joe Orji (rtd) all maintained that the congress where Ugo Agballah purportedly emerged as a chairman was a charade.
“These notable men also stood on the ground that Agballah was not a bonafide member of the party when he came to contest for chairmanship.”
Udeh said he expects that the Deputy National Chairman (south), Chief Emma Eneukwu, who knows the programme of the national chairman and is also a foundation member of the party, should stop Ugo Agballa from destroying the party in a crucial election year.
