Reconciliation: Enugu APC Considers Lifting Suspension Slammed on Onyeama, Nwangwu, Others

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Wednesday, June 6th, 2018

Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs minister

From Ignatius Okpara, Enugu Nigeria

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Enugu state Chapter of the All progressive Congress APC, has extended an olive branch to Nigeria’s Minister of foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffery Onyeama, and Special Assistant to president Muhammadu Buhari on judicial reform, Juliet Ibekaku Nwangwu, saying it is also considering lifting the suspension of 21 of her members.

Re-elected state chairman of the party, Dr. Ben Nwoye, disclosed this to newsmen Wednesday shortly after swearing in members of the state and local government executives of the party at the APC state secretariat in Enugu.

African Examiner reports that among the 21 party members suspended in June 2018 were the President’s aide, Mrs. Nwagwu, Ex-Deputy Chairman, Adolphus Ude, Women Leader, Lolo Queen Nwankwo and Valentine Nnaedozie.

They were suspended for alleged gross misconduct including making false allegation against the state chairman in a petition to the office of Secretary to the Federal Government.

Nwoye, who was inaugurated alongside other state chairmen in Abuja on Monday, said the party would reconsider their suspension in the spirit of true reconciliation.

According to him, as a Christian, he has forgiven all those who fought against him and the party, and had talked to other party leaders and they agreed to make concessions with regards to the national convention delegate list, for peace to reign in the party.

The Chairman, who was earlier received by a scores of Enugu APC faithful at the Akanu Ibiam Airport Enugu, said although police was investigating the factional chairman, Okey Ogbodo for forgery, to explain how he inserted his name into APC register, they were ready to formally receive him into the APC,

He said: “We know he came to scatter APC. We also know there is no space for him in PDP. We have resolved to receive him publicly. I spoke with people in Enugu South. They were ready to concede slots to him.” Nwoye said.

On the overwhelming crowd at the airport, he said it shows that they were ready to wrestle power from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, adding that those who turned out at the airport from the 260 political wards in the state to receive him were not there to show support for him alone, but to support democracy.

The chairman therefore, assured that unlike what happened in 2015 when Buhari polled only three percent in the entire South-East and 14,000 votes in Enugu State, the president would record a resounding victory in the State and South-East geo-political zone in general.

He said he would use his second tenure to consolidate on the achievements of his first tenure in office, calling all genuine members including the Minister to join hand with the party leadership in the state to take APC to its desired destination.

Nwoye added that as part of measures to move the party forward, in the state, its leaders are willing to make sacrifices, including ceding of delegate seats to the Minister in the forthcoming national delegate convention of the party, scheduled to take place on June 23rd, 2018 in the nation’s federal capital territory, Abuja.

Recalled that Onyeama and the presidential aide, had during the just concluded APC state congress, conducted a parallel congress in Enugu state, which was not recognised by the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun led executive.