2023: Fake Enugu Delegates Lists Threatens APC Presidential Primaries

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Concerned Stakeholders of the Enugu State Chapter of the All progressive Congress APC, have declared that the use of falsified national delegates lists from the State by the embattled State Chairman of the party, Chief Ugochukwu Agballa, during the just concluded presidential primaries may likely rock the boat for the party through the Court.

They accused Agballa, whose membership of the party is still under dispute of allegedly “planting landmines for both the presidential and gubernatorial Candidates of the party through the use of fake delegate lists during the said primaries.

Some members of the party in the State are currently at various Courts challenging his emergence as the State Chairman.

Speaking with African Examiner in Enugu Tuesday on condition of anonymity, a Chieftain of the party who said he was speaking on behalf of other concerned members, “said it’s quite unfortunate that Agballa has grounded the party we all laboured to build in Enugu State.

“He is planting landmines for both APC Presidential and Gubernatorial Candidates through an alleged falsification of delegates Lists in order to satisfy the evil permutations of his paymasters who before now succeeded in penetrating APC National Leadership and caused her to foist he (Agballa) on genuine APC members during the last Enugu State Congress.

“Agballa engaged in a manipulated process that is thoroughly bound to fail in the Court very soon, because the judiciary remains the Temple of justice.

“This case challenging the manipulated process was initiated by some members of “Coalition Against Extreme Politics of Prebendalism” who are part of the majority of the 32 short changed “Authentic Delegates” out of a total of 51 Delegates from Enugu State.

The Suit:

FHC/ABJ/CS/952/2022 which came up today at Court 3, FCT, Abuja is purely based on the super imposition through alleged forgery of the authentic National

Delegates Lists which the State Chairman, Agballa, doctored in his Abuja hotel room where he rolled out strange names comprising mainly of his cronies, house helps, and strange political associates, especially his moribund Oganiru group.

“He left the lists with only few elected delegates on it who were less than 19 in number.

“Ugochukwu Agballa who prior to the Primaries turned Enugu chapter of APC into his private venture and chased away prominent leaders of the party who failed to understand his shenanigans and most dangerous anti-party antics in order to make his manipulative tendencies a walkover during the Primaries proper.

“Prominent and major genuine APC leaders in Enugu State are licking their wounds as the wounds aren’t healing yet.

A night to the National Convention/Primaries, there were rumors making the rounds that Ugochukwu Agballa had sanctioned that no one should count himself a delegate while we were in the hotel rooms at Abuja except those that received text messages to participate.

Everyone thought he was joking because we knew that the laws wouldn’t allow him to unilaterally remove names on the list, but not until we got to International Conference Center (ICC) Abuja where we saw Ugochukwu Agballa selecting who should be let into the Center for proper accreditation using an overnight manipulated list.

“This caused serious pandemonium at the venue as carried out by major National News outfits that day. Everyone saw the huge protests that engulfed that moment at ICC which compelled the security agencies to use force on the protesting authentic delegates from Enugu.

“The security agents asked them to approach the courts than causing public disorder, and the situation was sufficiently captured by both the electronic and print media and is one of the Exhibits before the Court.

According to the Stakeholder, “Ugochukwu Agballa, like some alleged questionable Character Chairmen across States, craftily manipulated the list in connivance with some vested interests in the Party in total and deliberate breach of the Electoral Act, Party Constitution and Party Guidelines .

“Also Suit number two; FHC /EN/CS/136/22 which comes up at Federal High Court 1, Enugu in about a fortnight (17th August 2022) is on the same premises as per the manipulated Delegates Lists.

“The reliefs sought today at FHC 3, Abuja by the applicants include among others, a declaration that the process which produced the APC Presidential Candidate in the June 6-8 Special Presidential (Primary) Convention was invalidly and unlawfully conducted in contravention to sections 82 (3); 84 (5); 84 (cool; 84 (13) etc of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended) and Articles 2, 7 (viii), 9.2 (I), 11(a); 20 (iv) of the Constitution of the All Progressive Congress (as amended).

“And the one coming up on 17th August at Federal High Court 1, Enugu borders on Enugu not having a Guber Candidate.

“Chief Ugochukwu Agballa has perfectly laid the most dangerous landmines for BAT which he even demonstrated during the Presidential Primaries before the commencement of voting’s at the Eagle Square.

“Unfortunately majority of our genuine Enugu APC leaders inadvertently allowed this political heist while it lasted.