Irked by the purported suspension of some. Leaders of the All Progressives Congress, Enugu State Chapter, members of the state working of the party has described the action as a nullity and of no effect as the process was unknown to the constitution of the APC.
On Thursday, the secretary of the party, Robert Ngwu announced the suspension and expulsion of top members of the party including Ken Nnamani, ex-governor Sullivan Chime, Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama and his Aide, Flavour Eze.
But in a press conference on Saturday, the publicity Secretary of the APC, Barr. Charles-Solo Ako said what the hirings of the state chairman of the party, Ugochukwu Agballah did is not only laughable but unknown, and called for the removal of the state chairman, for violating the party’s constitution.
Ako maintained that the purported suspension is supposed to come from the ward level because nobody joins the party from the state, adding that “Article 13:9 of the constitution of our party is very clear on the steps to be followed before the suspension of any official.”
He went further to disclose that “When the issue was raised, members at the State Working Committee, SWC, raised objection but Agballah in his dictatorial nature decided to go ahead with the unconstitutional announcement. The SWC members were at the meeting as spectators and no committee was set up anywhere in the party contrary to what the secretary of the party said. The chairman simply drew up a list and announced their suspension.”
On the accusations of anti party activities, Ako opined that “anti Party is in different levels and the state Chairman is guilty in this regard because his actions and inactions was against the growth of our party.
“In a bid to undermine the chances of APC winning elections in Nkanu East and Nkanu West Federal Constituency, Agballah deliberately refused to field a House of Representatives Candidate for this constituency only to create an opportunity for a landslide victory for Honorable Nnolim Nnaji – the PDP House of Representatives Candidate who is a younger brother to the Chief Uche Nnaji – the APC Gubernatorial Candidate. This is a clear antiparty of the highest order – APC Constitution Article 21.1.i; and a clear contravention to the provisions of Article 7.iv, v, ix, x and Article 13.7.vi.”
“Ugochukwu Agballah never worked for the party and it’s on record that the fortunes of the party diminished drastically under his watch. In the 2019 presidential election, the APC garnered 56,000 but garnered a meagre 4772 votes in 2023 under the watched of self confessed saviour. This is an indication of failure but rather than address this failure, he went on suspension spree.
Similarly, the State Legal Adviser of the party, Jerry Eneh, told journalists that Agballa is ignorant of APC’s constitution that gave only the ward the right to suspend or sack members”.
His words: “I am not aware of expulsion and suspension of our political big wigs. As far as I am concerned and as the Legal Adviser to APC in the state, I am not aware of what happened and nobody sought my opinion.Therefore, the action of the party state chairman in suspending/expelling our political big wigs is ultra-vires, illegal, null and void.
“They registered in APC in their various wards and the suspension and expulsion ought to have begun in their wards according to the constitution of our party”
On his next line of action, the Legal Adviser said, “The suspension is of no effect. That is what I can say for now. All politics are local and it ought to have started from local to national.”
