Enugu APC suspends chairman, others for fraud and anti-party activities

This was revealed at a press conference by the Secretary of State for Advertising, Chief Michael Ezeanyanwuand other meetings of the party’s State Executive Committee in Enugu on Saturday.

Ezeanyanwu said members of the Enugu State Executive Committee had expressed no confidence over their anti-party activities.

“We, the members of the All Progressives Congress, Enugu State Executive Committee, hereby express a vote of no confidence against Chief Ugochukwu Agballah (State Chairman), Boss Augustine Alumonah (Deputy State Chairman).

“Others are Mr. Jude Aniogbo (State Treasurer) and Mr. Emeka Eze (State Secretary for Organisational Affairs) and are hereby suspended from party membership.

“Our decision is based on a series of acts of abuse of power, usurpation of power, creation of factional boards, unconstitutional removal of party boards.

“Others include inciting a crisis in the party, in some local authorities, etc., by the named officials against the party,” he said.

According to Ezeanyanwu, since Agballah was confirmed as party chairman, he has managed the party’s affairs as if it was his personal matter, disregarding the party’s constitution.

He said the suspended chairman had exercised his powers as party chairman in the state arbitrarily and for personal gain, including theft and embezzlement of money meant for the party.

He added that the latest case of defrauding the party and its members was in relation to the manner in which he distributed money meant for logistics for participants in the South East Stakeholders meetings of the Enugu State APC party held in Owerri and Ebonyi State respectively.

According to him, the officials mentioned by name sidelined members of the party’s state executive committee and arbitrarily used the powers of this body.

“They went so far as to unlawfully interfere in the party’s management in local government.

“Can you imagine if the state council chairman and treasurer colluded with bank officials and allowed them to access the party’s account without complying with the constitutional requirement that the chairman and two other signatories sign the financial document?

“The state chairman and treasurer also use their personal accounts to receive money intended for the party, allowing them to avoid being traced.

“Again, the state chairman, state vice chairman and state organizing secretary have also engaged in inciting crisis and party factionalization in some local governments and constituencies” he added.

Ezeanyanwu accused the state chairman of instigating and setting up factional ward boards in Aku 3 ward in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area and Abbi ward in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area through his deputy and organising secretary without the knowledge and consent of the SWC.

“Most recently, in July, the State Chairman and the State Organising Secretary organised and attended meetings with the Deputy Chairman of Enugu South Local Government, other local government officials and some ward chairmen at Signature Hotel where he urged them to remove the ruling party chairman at all costs.

“He tried to set up parallel executive bodies in the local governments of Ezeagu, Udi and Awgu, which threw the party into chaos.

“His misconduct and the way he is handling the activities of the Enugu State party resulted in Enugu State getting the worst result in the recently concluded general elections” – the chairman accused.

“All these anti-party activities by the enemies of the party on behalf of the party leadership led to the colossal and pathetic performance of the party in the state in the last general elections despite the efforts of our governorship candidate and we do not want a repeat of that.

“In view of the above, the above-mentioned persons are hereby suspended with immediate effect.”

Attempts to contact Chairman Agballah were unsuccessful as his phone was switched off while the state treasurer, Mr Jude Aniogbo, declined to comment, stating that they do not intend to share their problems with the State Working Committee.

“We will not link issues to SWC who claim to have suspended us because we are too busy to do so,“Aniogbo said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that in March, some party stakeholders passed a motion of no confidence against Agballah over his allegedly domineering leadership.

The stakeholders, led by APC activist, Mrs Ginika Tor, expressed outrage over Agballah destroying the party structure in the state through the unconstitutional suspension of its founding fathers.

Those suspended by Agballah include former Senate President, Ken Nnamaniformer governor of Enugu state, Sullivan’s Bellformer state chairman, Ben Nwoye and former CEO of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu.