By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
T
he Enugu West Zone of All Progressives Congress (APC) has endorsed Comrade Adolphus Udeh as the authentic chairman of the party in the State.
The group said they were in the same league with some stakeholders who met last week in Oji River Council and disowned Chief Ugochukwu Agballa, who was elected by Senator Ken Nnamani faction in the controversial parallel congress held on October 16.
They insisted that Agballah not only breached their zoning convention, but was not a registered member of the party, having joined secretly after registration of the APC had ended.
Agballa, who hails from the Udi Council area of the State, in Enugu West Senatorial district had joined the party in July, few days after the Ward Congress and three months before what turned out to be a rancorous state Congress that produced two chairmen in the State.
Agballa was declared the winner of the congress which has the backing of Senator Ken Nnamani and other new entrants.
On the other hand, Adolphus Udeh was declared winner of the congress conducted at the state secretariat by the faction backed by the mainstream foundation members led by the immediate past chairman of the party in the State, Ben Nwoye, Emperor Baywood Ibe, Osita Okechukwu and others.
In the statement issued in Enugu on Sunday and signed by Emperor Baywood Ibe, the mainstream group agreed with the stakeholders from Enugu West that not only was the process which produced Agballah invalid, but that he violated the party’s zoning principles.
The group stated that “the zoning principle calls for rotation between the old Udi LGA and old Awgu LGA. Udi having produced the highest party office zoned to Enugu in the last dispensation when Chief Emma Eneukwu occupied the eminent position of National Vice Chairman, equity demands that it is the turn of old Awgu, where Comrade A.C. Ude hails from,” the stakeholders said.
On Group Captain Joe Orji (rtd) whom had earlier been endorsed by some Stakeholders from Enugu West, the mainstream group stated that: “our elder statesman Group Captain Orji is too prominent to be drafted by opportunists and may not be disposed to the hassle and youth aggression battle required to win Lion Building in 2023. For God’s sake, he should be allowed to enjoy his old age retirement, every moon has its circle.”
They added that, “most importantly, our dear brother Chief Agballa is not qualified to lead 180,000 foundation members of our great party”, stressing that “he knows PDP antics but don’t have our progressive culture and may we ask, is APC, PDP rehabilitation center in the South East?
“To stop Senator Ken Nnamani’s impunity, we as foundation legacy members adopt King Solomon’s model of reconciliation with Comrade A.C. Udeh as authentic chairman – share the State Exco, 17 LGA Excos and 260 Ward Excos on 50-50 basis, so as to stand a good chance to win Lion Building in 2023.”
