Irked by the lingering leadership crisis in Enugu State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, General Josiah Okoloagu (rtd) has called for unity among members with a view to turning the table against the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023 gubernatorial election.
Addressing journalists in Enugu on Tuesday, Okoloagu said APC had all it takes to takeover Enugu Government House, saying that PDP has failed the people of the state in terms of infrastructural development and welfare of the citizens.
According to him, the current crisis in the party was due to external influence, alleging that the founding chairman of the party in the state, Dr.Ben Nwoye, whom he said had since been removed from office, romances with PDP in the state.
“It is on record that leaderships of all political parties in Enugu State are on payroll of the Enugu State Government. One of the Special Aides to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi revealed this in an open function”, he added.
On his purported expulsion, Okoloagu dismissed it, insisting that the suspended Acting Chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye, lacked the jurisdiction to expel him from the party he built from foundation.
“Ordinarily, I would not have wanted to join issues with Nwoye because I am the father of all of them. I single handedly made him chairman. And for him to have the effrontery to publish in news media that he has suspended me and several others including the former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, makes me think he should examine himself”, Okoloagu added.
He recalled, “The party was thrown into another round of crisis when the former Chairman of the Party, Dr. Ben Nwoye, went to swear in some people on 3rd of August, after the ward congress of our party on the 31st of July, against the constitution and congress guidelines of our great party, APC”.
He explained that the congress guidelines states that there shall be a ward congress, followed by an appeal before anyone is deemed to have been validly elected at a congress but the former chairman in his usual way of causing trouble for the party in the state to justify the huge money he is receiving from his pay master, went ahead to inaugurate some people handpicked by him as ward executives, even before the appeal committee was set up by the party at the national level.
“There after he called a SEC meeting on the 10th of August, where he was removed by over 2/3 of SEC members. We don’t need court to remove any officer of the party, our constitution is very clear on that. Ben knows, just like any other party faithful that he is no more the chairman.
“The national officers of our party have appointed State Caretaker committee members and have given their approval in a letter sent to the state party”.
