…Former council boss to fly APC flag for Enugu West Senatorial zone
Enugu State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is at the brink of serious internal crisis following efforts to forcefully change the candidates of the party that emerged through the primary elections, JOURNALIST101 reports authoritatively.
It was gathered that the national Assembly candidates that went to Abuja to fill the form from the Independent National Electoral Commission met the shock of their lives as the top leaders of the party in the state insisted that they must sign a withdrawal form before they can be given the affidavit form from INEC.
“We were summoned by Barr. Ugochukwu Agballa, the state chairman of the party to the Abuja residence of our Guber Candidate, Uche Nnaji, at Asokoro” one of candidates told JOURNALIST101 adding that the invitation came by 1am on Tuesday which gave them no time to plan for the emergency trip.
Our investigation revealed that 4 out of the 8 candidates for House of Representatives have signed the withdrawal form as at Thursday, 10pm while the remaining 4 have refused to sign and their INEC form is yet to be issued to them.
“Our own brother and the Deputy National Chairman, South, Chief Emma Eneukwu insisted that we sign our withdrawal form before we can be given the INEC form,” another affected candidate said.
“When we asked them why we must sign the form, he said it’s a directive from the National office but this is very strange to us because our colleagues from other states aren’t facing this same problem.
“One of us went to the office of the National Organising Secretary to pick the INEC form but to our greatest dismay, Emma Eneukwu who was very livid on discovering that one of us submitted to the office seized the form and insisted that all forms have been given to him and no candidate from Enugu will submit his/her form if not through him.
“We have written a letter to the National Chairman of our great party, informing him about the ugly situation we have found ourselves and we are waiting for his response and we are running against time since we have less than 48 hours to submit the form.
“We also intend to write to the National Chairman of INEC informing him that we won the primaries of our party but we’re being forced to sign a withdrawal form.
“We are so sad that all these happened before our state Chairman, Ugochukwu Agballah and our governorship candidate, Uche Nnaji,” the candidate from Enugu East Senatorial Zone said.
Efforts to reach Cheif Eneukwu to react to the allegations failed as he never replied our text messages nor returned the call made to his known mobile line.
In another development, a senatorial candidate, Ambassador Ejike Eze, who picked the ticket of the party for Enugu North Senatorial Zone is battling to save his own ticket too as efforts has been intensified to substitute him with a forme Guber aspirant; George Ogara.
Ogara, who was earlier tipped to be the running mate of Nnaji is now nursing the ambition of going to Senate.
Similarly, a former Chairman of Udi local government area, Oscar Egwuonwu popularly known as Egwueji is set to replace the candidate of the party and fly the flag of APC in Enugu West Senatorial zone.
A stalwart of the party from Enugu West who spoke to our correspondent said what’s happening in Enugu APC is an aberration and has never happened in the history of the party in the state adding that these forms are given to the state chairman of the party for onward transmission to the candidates and never the duty of the deputy national Chairman.
