Ebonyi APC Slams Suspension On 5 Members Over Anti-Party Activities

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News, News From The State, Tajudeen Balogun Wednesday, April 29th, 2015

FROM IGNATIUS OKPARA, Abakaliki – The Ebonyi state chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC on Tuesday reviewed its outing in the just concluded general polls, after which it slammed a five month suspension on five of her members over several cases of anti-party and rebellious behaviours.

A statement jointly signed by the state chairman, Hon. Ben Nwobasi and Pastor Victor Nnali Elem secretary, explained that the suspension of the members, namely, Chief Austin Igwe Edeze, Prof. Francis Ibiam, Pastor Eze Nwachukwu Eze, Mr. Ephraim Eze and Mr. Ngaji Nwodo, was part of the resolutions reached at the 7thState working Committee SWC meeting.

The party asked all its faithful and the general public to distance themselves from the suspended officers, noting that within the five months’ duration of their suspension, the affected officers would not be involved in any of APC activities .

While thanking APC supporters and in the State for their commitment to the party’s cause before, during and after the general election, the statement hinted that the suspension of the officers was sequel to the consideration and adoption of the report of the party’s disciplinary committee.

4“The disciplinary committee was set up at the 17th SWC meeting held on April 15, 2015. “The committee recommended as follows: that Pastor Eze Nwachukwu, the APC State Deputy Chairman; Engr. Ephraim Eze, Ohaukwu local government chairman of APC; Chief Austin Igwe Edeze and Prof. Francis Ibiam, be suspended from the party for anti-party activities for the next five months.

“That the State Publicity Secretary, Engr. Ngaji Nwodo, be suspended from office and all APC activities for embezzlement of party funds and anti-party activities,” the state added.Part of the statement read: “The APC SWC rose from its 17 th meeting on April 21, 2015 with the following resolutions:

“That after x-raying the activities before, during and after the 2015 general elections, we condemn in its entirety the violence and killings that characterized the general elections in Ebonyi State. “That we hereby call on the security agencies to carry out full scale investigations into the crimes and its perpetrators as no ambition is worth shedding the blood of any Ebonyian”.

The party however, recalled that prior to the suspension of Edeze, Ibiam and others, their acts of betrayals and rebellious behaviours were reported to the national leadership of APC stressing that Edeze openly canvassed support for President Goodluck Jonathan and Chief Edward Nkwegu in the presidential and governorship election.

“Chief Edeze donated his campaign billboards to the PDP campaign organizations of President Goodluck Jonathan and Dave Umahi. “Chief Edeze also instructed his boys who pulled down all the campaign billboards of APC Presidential and governorship candidates, General Muhammadu Buhari and Senator Julius Ucha in his Izzi local government council,”.

The party also regretted that Prof. Ibiam and Chief Edeze illegally collaborated in conducting training for two trainee agents of Dr. Sam Egwu, the PDP Senatorial candidate for Ebonyi north district while using APC manual and later summoned a meeting of APC members in the state and charged them to work for the Labour Party governorship candidate, who is Edeze’s kinsman.

It added that while Ngaji Nwodo acted as a mole in Ebonyi APC, the state Deputy chairman, Pastor Eze Nwachukwu and Ephraim Eze, the party’s Ohaukwu council chairman, openly campaigned against the APC governorship candidate spreading the falsehood that Senator Ucha has stepped down for the APGA governorship candidate at the polling centres in the local government.