No parallel congresses in Enugu, APC leaders insist

Committee chairman denies manipulating outcome of exercise in Katsina

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State yesterday dismissed allegations that there were parallel congresses in the state, saying the exercise was peaceful.This follows as the Charles Babagbale Appeal Panel for the congress commenced sitting to look into petitions and complaints of party members.

State Chairman of the party, Ben Nwoye, stated that the exercise was successful in the 260 wards across the 17 local council areas, adding that people from the grassroots voted for candidates of their choice without inducements.He, however, regretted that the Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyema, was being economical with the truth on the congress, insisting that he (Onyema) failed to follow laid down rules for the conduct of ward congress.

Nwoye said it was unfortunate that Onyema, rather than obtain necessary information from the congress committee appointed from the national leadership at the party secretariat, he “choose to hold his own meeting in a hotel.”He accused him of instigating crisis and creating the impression that there were parallel congresses in the state, whereas there was none, stressing that “you don’t create parallel structure through wishful thinking”.

He, however, expressed happiness that former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, former governor of old Anambra State, Jim Nwobodo, immediate past governor of Enugu State Sullivan Chime, South-East National Vice Chairman of the party, Emma Enekwu, among others, commended the congress as peaceful and hitch free.

Addressing journalists at the APC secretariat in Enugu, Babagbale said the panel has so far received one petition, adding that reports made available to the panel indicated that congress actually held across the state contrary to allegations by some aggrieved members it did not take place.

Meanwhile, the APC Ward Congress Election Committee Chairman in Katsina State, Zakari Tanko Mohammed, yesterday denied allegations that the committee manipulated the outcome of the exercise.He also dismissed allegations that the committee was hijacked and accommodated at the Government House with a view to manipulating the exercise in favour of government.

This followed complaints by some aggrieved members in which the group said the committee “stayed at the comfort of the government house and other undersigned venues where they simply filled the result sheets with the names of the cronies of government officials.But Mohammed described the allegations as a figment of the imagination of the complainants.