The All Progressives Congress (APC), Udi/Agbudu ward, in Udi local government area of Enugu state has passed a vote of confidence on Chief Ugochukwu Agballah as the state chairman of the party.
The ward dismissed as fake and unfounded the recent news in the social media about a purported expulsion of the state chairman, Agballah, who is also from the ward.
The ward also passed a vote of confidence on the party’s Chairman in Udi/Agbudu ward, Mr. Clinton Chinedu Ezeago and his executive.
Rising from an emergency ward meeting attended by more than 1000 members, the party described as strange the recent reports in the social media purporting the expulsion of the state chairman by “unknown” ward chairman and secretary.
The party said that one Ferdinand Aduma and Francis Onyia, who are signatories to the purported expulsion letter are known members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), being used to cause distraction in the APC as the ruling PDP was afraid of the growing popularity and acceptance of APC in the state.
Hon. Clinton Chinedu Ezeago, Chairman of APC Udi/Agbudu Ward, reading communiqué at the end of emergency ward meeting yesterday.
The party members insisted that the persons behind the expulsion letter are not members of the APC in Udi/Agbudu ward.
They alleged that the PDP was daily financing ludicrous crisis using willing individuals, stressing that PDP was relying on strategies it has used in the past to destabilise APC in the state.
In a communique issued at the end of the meeting and jointly signed by the APC Chairman, Udi/Agbudu ward , Chinedu Ezeago and Secretary, Chinedu Onyia, the party faithful maintained that no sane member or executive of the party, except those who are afraid of APC’s impending victory, would nurse the idea of expelling the state chairman of the party few months to election.
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They said there was never a time members of the party deliberated on issues concerning the state chairman neither was there any disciplinary committee set up to take disciplinary action against the state chairman of the party.
Chief Felix Ebubeagu Okafor, a chieftain of APC in Enugu state speaking at the emergency meeting of Udi/Agbudu Ward, Udi
While describing the “phantom” expulsion as laughable, the party said, the action of the two fake individuals masquerading as APC ward executives, and who signed the purported suspension letter, showed they have no knowledge of the party’s constitution.
The communique stated that Section 21.3 Vi (b) of the APC 26th March 2022 Constitution, as amended, stipulates that if there is any report against a member at the ward level, the local government area executive shall be the adjudicators stressing that the ward executive lacks the powers to look into any complaint at the ward level.
They observed that the said “debarment, suspension and expulsion” letter did not state or allege any offence committed by the state chairman.
While declaring the letter as “ill-conceived”, they urged members of the public to discountenance the fictitious and false debarment, suspension and expulsion as the letter did not emanate from APC Udi/ Agbudu ward.
The motion for vote of confidence on the state chairman, Agballah as well as the Udi/Agbudu ward leadership was moved by Hon. Patrick Eneh, while Chief Onah Livinus Chukwunwike seconded.
The communique reads in full:
“We, the members of APC , Udi/Agbudu ward at our emergency ward meeting held on Tuesday, 23 August 2020 at Eke Udi Square do hereby disclaim the false and purported expulsion, suspension and debarment of our performing and illustrious son as a member of APC, Udi/Agbudu ward and Chairman of APC, Enugu State, as stated in a widely publicised letter dated 19th August 2022 and signed by two characters who completely unknown to the party”.
“The signatories, Mr. Ferdinand Aduma and Mr. Francis Onyia, and not ward Chairman and Ward Secretary respectively of APC, Udi/Agbudu ward. Our chairman is Mr. Clinton Chinedu Ezeago and our ward secretary is Mr. Francis Chinedu Onyia. Mr. Ferdinand Aduma and Mr. Francis Onyia are not members of APC and have never attended any of our meetings since 23rd February 2022. This can be verified from party’s attendance register. Their names are not and have never appeared on our party’s attendance register. Both left the party prior to the 23rd February 2022 councillorship election and are known members of PDP Udi/ Agbudu award. Mr. Ferdinand Aduma and Mr. Francis Onyia have both joined PDP since February 2022 having openly campaigned, voted and worked for PDP during the chairmanship and councillorship election of 23 February 2022. Which sane APC party members or executives of APC will be suspending, expelling and debarring their most hard working state chairman few months to election, if not those who are afraid of the impending victory at the polls. This impending APC victory is made possible by the competent, capable and foresighted state chairman. There was never a meeting of APC Udi/Agbudu ward where the issue of suspension, debarment or expulsion or otherwise of our state chairman, the Honorable Ugochuckwu Agballah was ever raised or anytime, any manner of report was raised against him or any disciplinary committee set up on such a report or disciplinary action taken, as our state Chairman has not committed any infractions against the constitution of the party. We met last week on Wednesday 17th August 2022. The meeting was recorded on video and the minutes captured in our minutes notebook.
“At that meeting, we had 248 members in attendance and nobody raised the issue of any report whatsoever against our hardworking state chairman. From a careful reading of the laughable and phantom expulsion letter, one can deduce that the writers of the debarment suspension and expulsion letter are not conversant with the Constitution or procedure for disciplinary actions as contained in our party’s constitution. Section 21.3vi(b) of the APC 26 March 2022 constitution as amended stipulates that, if there is a report against a member at the ward level, the local government area executive shall be the adjudicators. Therefore, the ward executive lacks the power to look into any complaint or the word level. Ignorance of the party constitution explains why the writers debarred, suspended and expelled at the same time”.
“Secondly, no reason was given for such an action, and neither was any offense alleged or stated in the ill-conceived fake letter. Since the election of Honorable Ugochuckwu Agballah as the state chairman, our party in Udi/Agbudu award has recorded membership increased to 2450 from the former membership of less than 100 members. This increase is due singularly to his financial support, popularity and unquantifiable mobilization efforts, not to talk of his wide acceptance by the entire community.
“The leadership of PDP is worried over the growing acceptance of APC in Enugu state, and is daily financing ludicrous crisis using PDP moles in APC. This is one of the strategies PDP used in destabilizing APC in the past using the same characters who organized this failed putsch.”
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“We the entire executive and members of the APC Udi/Agbudu ward, do hereby urged the public to discountenance, the fictitious and false debarment, suspension and expulsion as the letter did not emanate from Udi/Agbudu ward”.
“We also reaffirm our unalloyed support and confidence on the membership of our illustrious, competent, capable result-driven son, leader, revolutionary ,dynamic, loved and loving statesmen-like, savior of the downtrodden masses of Enugu state, the dread of looters and corrupt politicians, the fear of fifth columnists and comprador agents of PDP in APC”.
The National leader of the Labour Party (LP) Mr Peter Obi on Wednesday said his concern at the moment is how to see Nigeria achieve her potential as an independent nation.
Obi who had embarked on a tour of some parts of the country and carried out some social and education projects, explained that his mission has nothing to do with politics or the 2027 presidential election.
At a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, the former Anambra State governor stated “Only God can tell who can run for election in future; my interest now is the poor and how to see Nigeria work.”
He regretted that 70 per cent of the wealth of the country is in the hands of about one per cent of the population, noting that if about 200,000 rich Nigerians could deploy their resources for the basic needs of the poor, the situation would not be as deplorable.
He equally called on governments at all levels to ensure that resource deployment is aimed at improving the living standards of the poor and pulling them out of poverty.
The former LP presidential candidate stated that his humanitarian tour of some parts of the country has exposed him to the level of poverty in Nigeria and the abandonment of the people.
Obi who announced the completion of the construction of 10 boreholes in some states of the North for a short-term water supply to the people, said if 200,000 rich Nigerians could do the same in the area of their choice, it would go a long way to solving the water needs of the people.
He stated that the potential he found among Almajiris in the Quranic schools in the North was an indication that with adequate encouragement and support, they could be catalysts to national development.
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“I am carrying out a campaign to make the rich in our midst do more in providing water to our rural poor and helping to pull the out-of-school children off the streets for proper development.
“This is the time to cut waste; our larger population can’t be suffering a conspicuous lack of basic needs like water and we live lavish lifestyles in their midst.
“Our crisis of insecurity and other challenges derives from poverty, and it’s our responsibility to pull people out of poverty through good education,” Obi stated.
He also reacted to the allegation that he did not build any new school when he was governor of Anambra State, explaining that he met education is shambles, as schools were closed and the state occupied 26 positions in the country.
But according to him, by the time he left as governor, Anambra was number one in the country.
“I improved the quality, physical and mental well-being of the people; schools had the basic things they needed and the people shone like stars, and that was my manifesto.
“Building new schools when the old ones are moribund is just like building coastal lines when internal roads are impassable,” he pointed out.
He expressed confidence that the crisis in the Labour Party would be resolved amicably, adding, “What is happening in the Labour Party is child’s play compared to what is going on in APC and PDP.” (New Telegraph)
A former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, has resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
In his resignation letter addressed to the PDP chairman in Mbutu Ward, Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of the state, Ihedioha cited a misalignment between his personal beliefs and the current trajectory of the main opposition party.
The former governor expressed his dedication to the advancement of democracy and good governance in the country despite his decision to step away from PDP.
According to Ihedioha, having been a member of the party since its inception in 1998, he has contributed immensely to the growth and evolution of the party.
The former governor, however, lamented recent developments within the PDP, stating that it has deviated from its core principles.
He voiced concerns over the party’s inability to enact internal reforms, uphold its own regulations, and effectively oppose the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
“Regrettably, in recent times, the party has taken on a path that is at variance with my personal beliefs. Despite my attempt to offer counsel, the party is, sadly, no longer able to carry out internal reforms, enforce its own rules or offer credible opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress.’
“It is in the light of the foregoing, that I am compelled to offer my resignation from the People’s Democratic Party effective immediately.
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“While the decision was difficult to take, I, however, believe that it is the right one. Despite this resignation, I will always be available to offer my services towards the deepening of democracy and good governance in Nigeria”, the letter added.
• Protesters demand cancellation of APC ward primaries in Ondo State on Sunday, April 21, 2024
Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akure, the Ondo State capital, took to the streets on Sunday to protest what they termed irregularities and biased conduct of the ward primaries across the state on Saturday.
The ward primaries meant to produce the governorship candidate of the party for the November 16, 2024 governorship election in the state has been marred with non-availability of election materials.
The protesters called for the cancellation of the ward primaries.
The protesters stormed the APC state secretariat in Akure to display their displeasure to the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the ward primaries across the 203 wards of the state.
Most of them are supporters of one of the aspirants, Olushola Oke, and they carried different placards calling on the national secretariat to remove the chairman of the primary election committee and Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo.
They described the process as a daylight robbery and urged the national secretariat of the APC not to allow the state to be embroiled in crisis.
One of the protesters claimed no ward primaries were held, insisting that the guidelines given by the national secretariat of the party were not followed as the committee did not distribute materials to any wards.
The party members warned of likely consequences if an unpopular candidate is imposed on them as it could affect the chances of the party in the governorship election.
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Ododo had on Saturday announced that polls would be conducted in all 13 wards of Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state by noon on Sunday.
“Having received reports of the primary election from the 203 wards in the 18 local governments of Ondo State, the primary election committee has decided that election will be conducted in all the 13 Wards of Okitipupa local government with total validated registered members of 9,515, because of validated reports that the exercise did not hold in the local government due to late arrival of materials and personnel as a result of logistics challenges.
“Election in Okitipupa local government shall be conducted 12 noon on Sunday 21st April 2024. The final collation of the results will be done thereafter,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, two aspirants and agents of two other contestants raised concerns about the conduct of the primary.
They alleged that based on the conduct of the exercise, plans were made to favour certain aspirants.
Olugbenga Edema, who is one of the 16 aspirants in the race for the APC ticket, decried delays in the distribution of materials and called on the party to investigate the process.
Rotimi Williams, the agent of Oke, took a similar position.
Shola Ajisafe, the agent of Adewale Akinterinwa, backed the narrative by Edema and Willams.
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“My people have been calling me. No material has been distributed to them,” Ajisafe who is from Ondo North said, accusing Governor Ododo of working in favour of a candidate. (Channelstv)