By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in State yesterday took a dangerous dimension, as the Enugu State Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Ben Nwoye, was on Tuesday arrested by the police.
It was alleged that the chairman was arrested over a petition by former Senate President, Ken Nnamani.
Recall that infighting in the party assumed a risky turn after the APC ward congresses in the State, with parallel exercise conducted in the 260 wards. The development was replicated in the last Saturday local government congress.
It was gathered that 20 policemen stormed the secretariat of the party in the State shortly after Nwoye held the swearing-in of the 17 local government council chairmen and arrested him.
However, Nwoye told reporters after he was released that “I was arrested based on the petition from Ken Nnamani. The Police Officers numbering about 20 who stormed the secretariat said that I was needed by the Commissioner of Police.
“They arrested me alongside my executive. Unfortunately, when we got to the police, the Commissioner of Police denied knowledge of the letter and said he never ordered my arrest.
“I was however quizzed on the letter from Nnamani. He accused me of fraud, conspiracy and cybercrime. That I must be aware of the letter being circulated bearing Akpanudoede’s name. I know nothing about the letter. They have taken my statement. It is part of the plot going on in the state to wrest the soul of the APC, but they have failed.”
However, the Police Public Relations Officer in the State, Daniel Ndukwe, said he was not “aware of the arrest or detention” of Nwoye.
Meanwhile, Nnamani, in the petition to the police had accused Nwoye of fraud, conspiracy and cybercrime.
The petition followed a letter that allegedly emanated from the Secretary, Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party, Sen. James Akpanudoede, over the congress of the party in the state.
Dated September 3, and addressed to Nwoye, it had denied “authorizing a certain Deputy Caretaker committee chairman of the party to take over the swearing in of the new executive of the party”, and reaffirming Nwoye as the Caretaker Committee chairman of APC in Enugu state.
The letter copied to Nnamani had dismissed the purported authority of the deputy chairman as “mere figment of naysayers and never existed.”
