Enugu APC Rejects ENSIEC Time Table For LG Poll, Begs Nigerians To Be Patient With Tinubu

The Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the local government election time table released by the State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC)

The party in a communique issued at the end of its stakeholders meeting held in Enugu, rejected what they described as “the jam-packed activities intended to wear down the opposition parties.

The communique was jointly signed by the state chairman of the party, Ugochukwu Agballah, George Ogara, the APC Deputy governorship candidate in the last election, Chief Austin Alumona, the Deputy state chairman and Evang Walter Madu, the acting state secretary.

It also expressed confidence in the bold policy initiatives and programmes of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in addressing the inherited socioeconomic and security challenges facing the nation currently.

While appealing to Nigerians to exercise patience and cooperate with the administration to turn around the situation, the party commended the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, for all his support to party in the state.

The communique in full:

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF ENUGU STATE APC STAKEHOLDERS MEETING ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 25, 2023 AT THE APC SECRETARIAT, NO.49A BISHOP ONYEABO ST. GRA ENUGU

1. The All Progressives Congress (APC) Enugu State stakeholders reviewed the state of the Nation and expressed confidence in the bold policy initiatives and programmes of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in addressing the inherited socio-economic and security challenges facing the nation currently.

The stakeholders appealed to Nigerians to exercise patience and cooperate with the administration to turn around the situation for the betterment of the country.

We hereby express our confidence and total support of H. E. Sen Ahmed Bola Tinubu GCFR President and commander in chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and and the national leader of our dear party and his hard working team.

We specifically commend our amiable Vice President Sen. Kashim Shettima GCON, the national chairman H. E Dr Umar Ganduje, our brother Chief Emma Enukwu the National Deputy Chairman South and Dr Ijeoma Arodiogbu for all their efforts and support in restoring discipline and party harmony in Enugu State APC and the country in general.

2. The APC Enugu stakeholders call on the National Deputy Chairman, North of our party, Alh Ali Dalori to stop undermining APC Enugu State by his thoughtless appointment of Mr Ben Nwoye as a staff in the national secretariat of our party.

Mr Ben Nwoye was removed in office as state chairman of APC Enugu State in 2020 by his state Exco for supporting PDP in Enugu state, a suspension that was ratified by the South East zonal executive of APC. And during the 2023 general elections Mr Ben Nwoye publicly burnt the party’s flag and later declared for PDP in a public rally. Mr Ben Nwoye went on to vigorously campaign for PDP in Enugu State. These activities were captured on national television and known to Alhaji Ali Dalori and all leaders of APC. We still recall that during the last general elections the INEC forms of some of our candidates went missing at the national secretariat, no thanks to the devious activities of some unscrupulous elements and moles working in the APC national secretariat on the payroll of the opposition party. By appointing Mr Ben Nwoye Chief of Staff to the National Deputy chairman, Mr Ali Dalori is bringing an unrepentant mole shamelessly beholden to the opposition into the heart of our party. And to show what he is capable of doing, Nwoye recklessly and unapologetically leaked a private memo sent to the National Deputy Chairman, Ali Dalori to the press. This singular act clearly defines Nwoye as a man who can not be trusted with confidential and sensitive mails. Enugu State APC will no accept nor tolerate the unwarranted defamatory media attacks on our leader and the Hon Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji and other leaders of our party in the state by Nwoye and his faceless fronts who are unknown to APC Enugu State. It has gotten to the level of the ridiculous when pseudonyms are used in writing on behalf of Enugu APC Stakeholders like the recent widely publicized statement credited to one Dr Charles Ogbu who wrote on behalf of APC elders. The said writer is completely unknown to APC Enugu state. If such a person actually exists we wish to equivocally state that the said Charles Ogbu is not a member of APC Enugu state. On closer investigation we discovered that prior and throughout the 2023 general elections the writer or the pseudonym was in the forefront of anti Bola Ahmed Tinubu defamatory press statements. We are not surprised that the said writer is defending Nwoye a fellow anti-Tinubu campaigner. A cursory reading of all past anti APC publications by the said writer will leave no one in doubt of the nexus bwn Ben Nwoye and the phantom Charles Ogbu. We hereby serve a notice to Alhaji Ali Dalori, the Deputy National Chairman, North ; that APC members in Enugu hold him personally responsible for these unjustified, baseless and provocative media attacks against the stakeholders of Enugu state APC. We reject Alhaji Dalori’s lame defence that the appointment is personal on the grounds that APC is not his personal estate. We wish to state once more for the avoidance of doubt that the Enugu state APC stakeholders have nothing personal against Mr Nwoye or Ali Dalori but are determined to resist any act that will undermine party discipline and constitutional order which we have worked so hard to restore.

3. The stakeholders of APC Enugu state wish to express our profound gratitude to Chief Uche Nnaji Nwakaibie, for all his support to APC and his committed and dedicated leadership of the party in the state, before, during and after the general elections and till date. We are indeed very proud of him and also re-assure him of our unalloyed loyalty and support.
4. The APC Enugu state stakeholders congratulate His Excellency, Sen Hope Uzodimma for his resounding electoral victory. We are equally grateful for his longstanding unflinching support to APC Enugu state and South East in general. We pray the Almighty God to continue to provide him good health and wisdom to pilot the affairs of Imo state for the benefit of the people.
5. The stakeholders of APC Enugu state warmly congratulate the Governor of Ebonyi State, His Excellency, Francis Nwifuru for his Appeal Court victory and affirmation of his resounding victory at the polls during the 2023 general elections.
6. On the recent Local Government election time table released by the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), we wish to express our strong objection to the jam-packed activities intended to wear down the opposition parties. But above all, APC Enugu state is still in court with ENSIEC for disenfranchising APC candidates and the shoddy conduct of the last LG election, which in all intents and purposes was a charade. The court matter is still subsisting even as the state authorities have been employing all manner of delay tactic to thwart justice. ENSIEC is not and has never pretended to be a transparent electoral umpire and Enugu state citizens don’t have any iota of confidence in the body. It is a historical fact that ENSIEC has never conducted any local government elections since its inception in Enugu state. In due course, therefore, the party will in no distant time address the general public on her final position on the proposed local government elections in the state and the duplicitous pretensions of EINSEC to give the false impression to the unwary that it is an electoral body.
7. APC Enugu state has been receiving indications from a good number of prominent politicians in the state to join our party. We are excited by this development and the party will unveil our new converts in a massive rally which will be organized to welcome them into the biggest political party in Africa. We call on the leadership of the party at the wards and local government levels to be ready to welcome new members who will help in the growth of the party.
8. We congratulate all our candidates on their doggedness in pursuing their electoral cases through the courts and most especially our victorious house of reps candidate in Igboeze north Udenu fed constituency Oby Aji and enjoin all our members and the good people of Igboeze north Udenu federal constituency to vigorously campaign and vote for her during the coming elections. Soon after due consultations with our regional national leaders we shall unveil a high powered campaign committee that will lead her to a resounding victory at the polls.

Signed:

1. The Hon. Barr. Ugochukwu H. Agballah, State Chairman.
2. Barr. George Ogara, APC Deputy Governorship candidate for himself and on behalf of Chief Uche Nnaji,the leader and Hon Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology.
3. Chief Austin Alumona, Deputy state chairman.
4. Evang Walter Madu
   Acting state secretary