Enugu APC crisis and senator Ayogu Eze’s emergence

There is no doubt that the primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have plunged the party into further crisis and threatening its fortunes in next year’s general elections.
 
In Enugu, two camps, one led by Deacon Okey Ogbodo and another by the state chairman of the party, Dr. Ben Nwoye are laying claims to the authentic ticket for the governorship candidate of the party in the state for 2019. The battle is between Mr. George Ogara and Senator Ayogu Eze.

While Ogbodo is claiming that Ogara remains the candidate, having emerged from the direct primary that held in the 260 wards of the state and was returned by popular votes, Nwoye said Ayogu Eze is the governorship candidate. Ogbodo alleged that Eze did not get the required waiver in line with the Constitution of the party, stressing that he did not participate in the primary of the party.

“He did not vote anywhere in the primary. He did not obtain the constitutional waiver that is supposed to be a process from the ward, local government and state level. I agree that it is the responsibility of the National Working Committee (NWC) of our party to submit list of candidates, but it will not downplay the rules it has set for itself to begin to do another thing. That is why we have also submitted the name of Ogara as the candidate of our party in the state,” he said.

Ogbodo, who declared Ogara winner of the exercise in his residence in Enugu, said he polled 57,675 votes against Ayogu Eze’s 7,690 votes. He however did not announce other candidates that emerged from his flank for the National and State Assemblies elections.

But Nwoye insisted that Eze is the governorship candidate, having won in the primaries that held throughout the state conducted by the National Working Committee (NWC) appointed electoral panel, led by Prof Moses Momoh.

Momoh, while declaring the result of the rescheduled direct primary said Senator Eze secured 53,967 out of the 66,122 votes cast in the rescheduled primary, which held in the 17 local governments of the state.He had also announced former Speaker Eugene Odoh, Mrs Juliet Ibekaku and Chief Uchenna Ezemba as senatorial candidates for Enugu North, Enugu West and Enugu East respectively.

How The Confusion Started
Although many have dismissed the figures and claims of the Ogbodo-led group as “unrealistic”, it is however claimed, by observers, that what is happening is the consequence of the state congress conducted by the party in May this year at Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium, Enugu.

The congress, scheduled for May 19 was disrupted midway into the accreditation of delegates, when armed thugs marched in and chased everybody away, including members of the congress committee sent from the national secretariat of the party, as well as INEC officials. The exercise came to an abrupt end, as party members scampered to safety, leading to the rescheduling of the exercise for the next day (May 20).

However, while party officials dispersed, Ogbodo, who was a contestant for chairmanship position was reported to have returned to the venue with some members loyal to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama and announced himself winner of the exercise. It was in fact the first time Ogbodo was appearing on the scene in APC.

This did not dampen the spirit of APC leaders in the state, who gathered at a peaceful congress the next day to re-elect Nwoye and other members of the state working committee.Since the development, the factions have worked differently, with each camp claiming control of the party and issuing counter directives.  While Nwoye is operating from the secretariat of the party at the GRA, Enugu, Ogbodo is operating from his private residence at the market garden axis of the state.
 
At a time, Ogbodo approached the court, where he got an order restraining Nwoye from parading himself as chairman of the party, but that injunction was short-lived, as it was vacated before the official inauguration of Nwoye-led executive for their second term. Nwoye has continued to enjoy the support of the national leadership of the party as the recognized state chairman. He has attended meetings of the party’s NEC and led the state contingent to the national convention of the party. It was he that organized the presidential primary that returned Buhari in the state.

When the electoral committee that conducted the re-scheduled direct primaries arrived Enugu, they addressed contestants and members of the party at the state secretariat, with Nwoye presiding.

Ayogu Eze’s Emergence
Ayogu Eze’s emergence as the party’s guber candidate was not unexpected. From the day he defected until his declaration to contest the governorship ticket of the party, those who were already in the race knew it would be an uphill task overcoming him.

This became clear on the day he announced his arrival, as members of the party trooped to Akanu Ibiam International airport, Enugu, in their numbers received him in a rousing welcome.“That outing alone changed the permutations as it had in attendance several aggrieved members and those opposed to the headship of the party in the state. I also believe that our party members were looking for someone with a mind of his own and knowing the character of the man, Ayogu Eze, who would not beat a retreat in a fight no matter how badly it affects him, they were ready to go with him,” a source told The Guardian.

But Nwoye told The Guardian that the odds were actually in favour of Eze, stressing that those claiming otherwise are doing so to remain relevant and occupy a space in the media. Nwoye said: “We have held congresses before Ayogu Eze joined the party. Some of our governorship aspirants have started emerging. Chief Ifeanyi Nwoga, who was the first to emerge, was making waves. He was the front runner until Ben Eche, George Ogara, Augustine Akubue came on the scene. Eze was the last to join the race. It is not of him that started first but by popular votes.

“Ayogu Eze is versatile with politics of the state and nationally. He was commissioner on several occasions and went to the Senate, where he served for eight years. He became Senate’s Spokesperson and left a track record that has not been equaled. Now when he came on the scene, the ground move with him.“There was another unwritten policy of zoning which favours his area. In the end, the 17 local government chairmen in the state endorsed him. This was carried into the primary.

“You will recall that the party had earlier approved direct primaries for Enugu APC. Now we gathered at the Temporary Stadium, Enugu for that exercise. One of the governorship aspirants who felt he was losing out imported thugs into the arena. That disrupted the exercise as the Police had a swell time handling them.

“Eventually when the exercise got underway, we had concluded voting in four local government councils when an order came from above that we should suspend the election. We did, but insisted that the already cast votes should be counted. When the votes were counted, Senator Ayogu Eze had taken the lead with over 400, while his closet rival had less than 100 votes. Nonetheless, we prepared to return the next day, when eventually the National Working Committee announced that it would no longer be indirect but direct primaries in the state.”

It was gathered that the leadership of the party met severally with the aspirants at the residence of former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, where the strengths and weaknesses of each were reviewed with Eze emerging tops. Such was said to have led to some aspirants giving up and asking their supporters to vote Senator Eze.