Less than 24 hours after inauguration of state chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja, the Enugu chapter of the party has been engulfed in another round of confusion and crisis.
The confusion is fueled by a viral video from the APC national secretariat which showed that Chief Ugochukwu Agballah was denied certificate of return by the national secretary, Senator John Akpan Udedehe during the inauguration.
The situation led to the emergence of two factional chairmen with the immediate past chairman, Dr Ben Nwoye and Agballah claiming the post.
While Chief Agballah returned to a tumultuous reception by members of the party in the State, Dr Nwoye told reporters he remains in charge of Enugu APC.
Addressing APC faithful who came out en masse to receive him at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu, Agballah promised to turn around the fortune of the party in the State.
Agballah, who told party members he was duly inaugurated, said the party is coming with vigour to break the 24-year- old political monopoly of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He also said the party under his leadership would fulfill the ambition of the founding fathers and create platform for a democratic change in the State in 2023.
Agballah disclosed that he accepted to lead the party to make the politics of the State competitive.
However, speaking with journalists in Enugu at the weekend, Nwoye dismissed the claim by the Agballah, insisting that nobody was sworn in in Abuja as Enugu State Chairman.
He stated that the caretaker committee under his leadership was still in charge of the party in the State at the moment.
He insisted that the crisis rocking the party in the State would be amicably resolved soon.
According to him: “APC is a restored party. There’s no victor, there’s no vanquished. APC in Enugu is united”.
Nwoye commended the national leadership of the party for refusing to recognise Agballah as chairman, insisting that he did not participate in any congress.
“I’m grateful to the national leadership of our party, the chairman of APC reconciliation committee, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the Southeast representative in the National caretaker committee, Senator Ken Nnamani, former governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime for ensuring that justice prevailed.”
“Justice has been served by the National Leadership of our party. I call on our members to be calm and watch the national Secretariat take a decision on Enugu State.
” For now am still in charge as power abhors vacuum so, I remain the caretaker committee chairman of Enugu APC,” he stated.
