Factional Chairmen Emerge in Enugu State IPAC Election

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Wednesday, November 7th, 2018

By Ignatius Okpara

ENUGU, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Two factional chairmen have emerged at the end of the inter-party Advisory Committee (IPAC) election held in Enugu state, amid protest by contestants, over alleged irregularities and manipulation of the exercise.

The immediate past State’s IPAC Chairman Bar. John Nwobodo was accused as the brain behind the manipulation.

The controversial election which took place Tuesday at the Enugu state office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was earlier scheduled for 10 am, but started around 4 pm, following the protest which almost marred the exercise.

IPAC is the umbrella body of all registered political parties in Nigeria.

Our Correspondent who covered the exercise, reports that some of the aggrieved contestants, especially chairmen, from various political parties, accused Nwobodo, who is also the Special Assistant (SA) to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on inter party Affairs of conniving with the ruling People’s Democratic party (PDP) in the state to manipulate the process.

However, the National chairman of Democratic Alternative (DA), Prince Frank Ukonga, who supervised the election, declared Mr. Godwin Oke, of Progressive Peoples Alliance PPA, as winner of the chairmanship position, while Mr. Manifest Nnamani of Peoples party of Nigeria PPN, clinched post of the Scribe.

Similarly, all the aggrieved candidates had immediately after the announcement by Oke, declared Mr. Sunday Onyeishi, of New Nigeria Peoples party (NNPP), as their factional chairman, even as they threatened to challenge the outcome of the exercise in law court.

Speaking to newsmen on behalf of other contestants, a Secretary ship Candidate, and Enugu state chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC), Dr. Ben Nwoye, said “what happened today in the name of IPAC election is laughable, and it is crystal clear that it is masterminded by the PDP which is Nwobodo’s pay master.

Nwoye, who equally described the exercise as a “huge joke, and mockery of an election”, alleged that the out gone state chairman of the association, smuggled names of non-members of political parties into the contestants lists.

According to him, “the most funny thing is that most of these people who Nwobodo smuggled their names into the lists, don’t even know names of the National chairmen of their respective parties or their party acronym’s yet, they claimed to be members of such parties.

The APC chairman added that before the election, only about 40 political parties existed in the state, out of the registered 91, but surprisingly, over 80 parties participated in this charade called election.

“How can you called this an election, where an average of 35 votes out of 80 were declared invalid so, what we have in Enugu state is nothing but, PDP IPAC” he stated, hinting that the aggrieve contestants would seek redress at the appropriate quarters.

Meanwhile, Nwbodo, denied any wrong doing, insisting that the election was free, fair and credible, advising the aggrieved members to seek redress in court.