APC Enugu crisis gets messier as stakeholders boycott Tinubu’s rally

The crisis rocking the Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) assumed another dimension, yesterday, as major stakeholders of the party boycotted the presidential campaign rally of its candidate, Bola Tinubu, held at the Michael Okpara Square.

Tinubu had promised to resume Eastern corridor locomotive railways, extending it to Calabar, Anambra and other parts of the South East, adding that he would make Igbo an industrial hub.

Former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, former Enugu Governor, Sullivan Chime, Director General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, Senator Ayogu Eze; former Speaker, Eugene Odo, Juliet Ibekaku and immediate past state Chairman of the party, Ben Nwoye, among others, shunned the rally.

But Nnamani, Chime, Odo, Ikechukwu Ugwuegede were at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, to receive Tinubu. Addressing reporters on why stakeholders shunned the rally, Nnamani insisted that they were not privy to the event, stressing that they had nothing to do with those behind it.

“We are not aware of preparations for this rally. It was organised from outside Enugu. That is why we did not want to go and create a scene there,” Nnamani said. He, however, added that Tinubu is the candidate of the party, and that every loyal party member would support his election.

Chime stated, however, that they shunned the event after the airport reception, following problems in the party. He stated that the problem had been there in the last one year, and arose due to the imposition of a non- member on the leadership of the party.

The development is following the emergence of a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Ugochukwu Agballah, as the state Chairman of APC in October 2021 parallel congress that held at an events centre in Enugu.

Members had kicked against his emergence on the allegation that he was not a registered member of the party, adding that he was imposed by one of the governors of the zone against the wishes of party members.

Chief Adolphus Ude, who had also emerged Chairman in another congress that held at the state headquarters of the party, had gone to court to challenge Agballah’s emergence.

The matter has been in the court since then. Chime said: “Since October 2021, we had a non member of the party foisted on us as our chairman. We have had protests that took leaders to Abuja. Unfortunately, nobody has acted on it.”