Police seal Enugu APC secretariat

The police in Enugu State have taken over the state secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), ordering the two factions of the party to vacate until they were able to reconcile their differences.

The development followed the clash of the factions at the secretariat on Jim Nwobodo Avenue, GRA, yesterday.

It was gathered that trouble started when the Okay Ogbodo-led faction attempted to hold its meeting at the secretariat, a development that did not go down well with the Ben Nwoye-led faction that had been using the secretariat since the party came into being in the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Dan-Mallam Mohammed, who arrived at the scene before the situation degenerated, ordered the two factions out of the place and asked his men to take over, pending the resolution of their differences.

The Nwoye-led faction was conducting a prayer session for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari when the Ogbodo group arrived and attempted to force its way into the secretariat for a meeting.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ebere Amaraizu, who accompanied the police commissioner to the visit, explained that the order was automatic to prevent breakdown of law and order, which could lead to loss of lives.

In a brief chat with newsmen, Nwoye alleged that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, had directed a faction to hold a meeting within the party secretariat without informing him, whereas he had fixed a prayer session there for the success of the party in 2019.

But Ogbodo stressed that he had scheduled a meeting with the party stakeholders from the wards and 17 councils of the state to deliberate on the coming party primaries, expressing surprise that Nwoye and his group occupied the secretariat.

He urged his members to remain resolute while thanking them for their peaceful conduct.