Enugu APC Holds Peaceful Ward Congress Amid Alleged Missing Result Sheets

Posted by Ignatius Okpara African News, Featured, Latest Headlines, News, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Sunday, August 1st, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Enugu State Chapter of the All progressive Congress APC on Saturday conducted its ward congress amid missing result sheets in all the 260 political wards of the state.

Our correspondent who monitored the exercise in parts of the state, reports that the congress was characterized by complaints of non availability of result sheets at the congress venue.

The party observed the congress with the adoption of consensus options in several wards and voting by delegates where the consensus option was not reached.

At the Nenwe Ward 1, Aninri Council, area of the state, the congress witnessed large turn out and produced Chief Cyril Onu, Mr. Henry Aniobi, Mrs. Lorita Chikelu and Mr. Nwaru Stephen elected ward Chairman, Secretary, Women Leader and Youth Leader respectively.

Other executives were also elected in a very peaceful and transparent manner at Obodo Ndiulo Amoji Nenwe, Aninri LGA, Enugu state.

At the Eke ward 2, in Udi local government Area, which incidentally is the ward of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu; Mr Eze Philip was returned as the chairman with Ikechukwu Okafor and Ene Uchenna elected as Secretary and Vice Chairman, respectively.

Eze polled 626 votes to beat his closest rival Uche Aguba who scored 1 vote.

They also elected the 27 executive members and five member delegates for the local and state governments congresses.

The Minister, who had earlier addressed the party members at the St Paul’s College, Eke, venue of the ward congress, had urged them to conduct themselves peacefully, stressing that “he will abide by the outcome of the exercise and whoever the people elected”.

Okechukwu, was absent from the exercise having been appointed Ward Congress Chairman for Kebbi state.

Onyeama, who arrived at the venue with a truck load of heavily armed soldiers, Mobile policemen and State Service officials, said that he was impressed with the consciousness and willingness of the party members to participate in the process.

A Chieftain of the party in Eke ward 2, Barrister Godwin Onwusi and the state Woman leader, Contact and Mobilization Mrs. Lolo Queen Nwankwo who is also from the Ward, commended the peaceful manner the congress was conducted

Onwusi congratulated the 27 man Exco elected at the congress, expressing optimism that they will take the party to the next level in the locality.

Speaking to newsmen, the State Caretaker Committee Chairmen, Dr. Ben Nwoye confirmed that there were no Result sheets “for today’s ward congress of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Enugu State

Our correspondent who monitored the exercise observed that officials deployed to the 260 political wards for the exercise did come to the Congress venues with the result sheets. They claimed it was not handed over to them.

Meanwhile, the development is already raising tension among members of the party in the State.

Dr. Nwoye,. said “The fact is that in all the 260 wards, I have received calls that there were no results sheets. It was INEC officials that first alerted me about it,” Nwoye said.

He, however, said the exercise was peaceful and there was no parallel congress across the State.

Efforts by African Examiner to reach the chairman of the Enugu state Congress Committee Dr. Ijeomah Arodiogbu hit the rock as of the time of filing this report, as his mobile phone was not reachable .

Ex- governor of the state, Barrister Sullivan Chime had described the process as peaceful, after participating in his Udi/Agbudu Ward, Udi LGA, expressing satisfaction with the matured manner the party members conducted themselves during the exercise .

“You can see how our members came together. We held meetings to encourage them and this shows that we are one family.

“I believe that what happened here today is an indication of what happened across the wards in the state,” Chime said.