Former chairman of All Progressive Congress in Enugu State, Dr Ben Nwoye, has called on the party’s National Vice Chairman, South-East, Dr. Ijeomah Arodiogbu, to wade into the crisis rocking the party in the state.
Nowye, who spoke on Tuesday during a press briefing over the lingering crisis in the party advised that an investigative committee should be set up to probe the activities of the state chairman of the party, Mr Ugochukwu Agballah, to avoid plunging the party into more crises and ruin its future in the state.
He condemned the reckless manner Agballah has been suspending prominent party stakeholders like former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; former governor, Sullivan Chime; former Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Eugene Odo, and himself, Dr. Nwoye, among others.
Nwoye averred that to save APC in Enugu State and galvanize it for future elections, Agballah’s excesses have to be investigated and his soaring wings clipped.
The former chairman of the APC said that though the emergence of Agballah as party chairman was questionable, they had to overlook it and as the party chairman, Agballah should be a father to all and bring party members together as well as bring in new members.
APC stakeholders had during a meeting held in Enugu last week expressed their readiness to reconsider the expulsion and suspension of some members of the party, including Nnamani, and Chime, among others.
But reacting to the resolution of the meeting, Nwoye asked Arodiogbu to caution Agballah over the way he has been abusing key state stakeholders of the party in the state and incessant announcement of suspensions.
The immediate past chairman therefore appealed to Arodiogbu to see himself as a father to everybody and reconcile everybody to enable the party to perform better in future elections.
Nwoye further expressed sadness over some weighty allegations against the federal commissioner representing Enugu State in the Federal Character Commission, Mrs Ginika Tor, by Agballah, saying it was becoming embarrassing to the party.
He added, “I am appealing to the South-East zonal chairman of the APC, Dr Arodiogbu, to set up a committee and investigate Agballah for abusing Senator Nnamani and former Governor Chime.
“They don’t deserve the abuses that Agballah is heaping on them. We need to rebuild APC in Enugu State. We need to come together so that we will do better in future elections.”
Noting that although no congress led to his emergence as state chairman, Nwoye averred that Agballah as state chairman needs to unite the party since it accepted him as chairman.
He added, “Arodiogbu must call Agballah to move the party forward. Arodiogbu should advise Agballah. We can rebuild the party to get APC to win in 2027.”
Nwoye, however, condemned the way Agballah was trying to launder his image by using the entrance of Senator Chukwuka Utazi and former Minister of Aviation, Fidelia Njeze, and others into the party as if it was his effort.
He said, “He cannot use Utazi and Njeze to launder his battered image,” pointing out that the new entrants should have been registered in their wards instead of parading them at the state level.”
