Enugu APC Suspends Chairman, Others Over Abuse Of Office, Anti-Party Activities

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The protracted crisis bedevling the Enugu state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) weekend took a new twist, as members of the state Executive Committee announced the suspension of its state chairman, Chief Ugochukwu Agballah and other executive members over alleged acts of abuse of offices.

The State Publicity Secretary, Chief Michael Ezeanyanwu, disclosed this to newsmen on Saturday in Enugu.

Ezeanyanwu stated that the members of the state executive committee, Enugu State had passed a vote of no confidence following their anti-party activities.

He said: “We, the members of the State Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress, Enugu State do hereby pass a vote of no confidence on Chief Ugochukwu Agballah (state Chairman), Chief Augustine Alumonah (State Deputy Chairman).

“Others are Mr Jude Aniogbo (State Treasurer) and Mr Emeka Eze (State Organizing Secretary) and they are hereby suspended from the party.

“Our decision is predicated on a series of acts of abuse of offices, usurpation of powers, creation of factional executives, unconstitutional removal of party executives.

“Others include instigation of crisis in the party in some local government etc. committed by the named officers against the party,”

According to Ezeanyanwu, Since the confirmation of Agballah as the state chairman of the party, he has been running the affairs of the party as if it’s his personal business without any regard for the party’s Constitution.

The party Spokesman in the state further added that the suspended chairman exercised the power of his office as the chairman of the party in the state arbitrarily and for his personal consideration.

He said the named suspended officers have sidelined the members of the state executive committee of the party and arbitrarily exercised the power of the organ.

“They went to the extent of unduly interfering with the administration of the party at the local government.

“Again, the state chairman, Deputy state chairman and the state organizing secretary had also engaged in instigation of crisis and factionalisation of the party in some local governments and wards,” he added.

Ezeanyanwu alleged that the state chairman through his deputy and the organising secretary, instigated and created factional ward executives in Aku Ward 3 in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Areas and Abbi Ward in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Areas without the knowledge and consent of the SWC.

“Recently, in July, the state chairman and state organising secretary facilitated and attended meetings with the local government deputy chairman of Enugu South, other local government officers and some ward chairmen at the Signature Hotel where he instigated them to remove the local government party chairman by whatever means.

“He tried to create parallel executives in Ezeagu, Udi and Awgu Local Government Areas, which has thrown the party into chaos.

“His misconduct and how he handles Enugu state party activities made Enugu state to have the worst result in the just concluded general election,” the chairman alleged.

“All these anti-party activities of these enemies of the party in the name of party executives culminated into the colossal and abysmal performance of the party in the state at the last general elections despite the effort of our governorship candidate and we do not want a repeat of it.

“On this premise, the aforementioned persons are hereby suspended with immediate effect.”

It would be recalled that stakeholders of the party led by an APC stalwart, Mrs Ginika Tor, had earlie expressed dismay that Agballah had destroyed the party structure in the state through the unconstitutional suspension of its founding fathers.

Those suspended by Agballah were former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, former Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, ex-State Chairman, Ben Nwoye and former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu.

Efforts to speak with Agballa hit the brick wall as his mobile phone line could not go through as at the time of filing this report.