Politics
Enugu APC ward passes vote of confidence on State Chairman, Agballah
…describes report of Agballah’s sack fake
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.
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.”
“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”.
….GMN challenges ruling party to publish register, accuses APC of preparing ground for 2027 rigging
The Grassroots Mobilization Network (GMN), a support group of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has dismissed the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s claim of 12.9 million registered members as “a scam and outright fraud,” challenging the ruling party to publish its membership register for public verification.
The group alleged that the membership figure was fabricated to create a false impression of massive nationwide support for the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections and potentially provide cover for an alleged plan to manipulate the polls.
The allegation was contained in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja by GMN spokesperson, Comrade Peter Emeka.
Emeka said the APC’s claim was an attempt to deceive Nigerians and the international community about the party’s actual strength, arguing that genuine political popularity could not be manufactured through unverified figures.
“The APC’s so-called 12.9 million membership claim is nothing but fraud and a scam by a party that has lost the confidence of Nigerians,” the group said.
“You cannot manufacture members on paper when your government has failed to deliver food, security and jobs to the people.”
GMN further alleged that the figures could be deployed as part of preparations to manipulate the 2027 presidential election.
“The main aim of manufacturing these figures by the desperate APC is to use it to support their impending rigging plans,” Emeka alleged.
“But that plan will fail. Nigerians are ready to foil whatever illegal and dubious plans to frustrate or win the 2027 presidential election.”
The group also accused the APC of attempting to create a misleading picture of its grassroots support base before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), election observers and the wider international community.
“It’s simply a gimmick to hoodwink Nigerians and the world, but it’s a mockery of our democracy,” Emeka said.
GMN challenged the APC to substantiate its claim by making its membership database available for scrutiny.
“If APC truly has 12.9 million members, let them publish the register, state by state, ward by ward, for Nigerians to verify. The party has not done that because there is nothing to show,” the statement said.
The group argued that political parties should build their support through credible leadership, performance and public trust rather than what it described as propaganda and inflated statistics.
“If APC truly wants to grow its membership, it should first address hunger, insecurity and economic hardship.
“Nigerians will join a party that gives them hope, not one that gives them lies,” it added.
GMN warned that unverified membership figures could further damage public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system and deepen voter apathy.
“Nigerians are not children. We can see the empty rallies, the deserted party offices and the anger on the streets,” the group said.
“This fake membership claim will only deepen the disconnect between the government and Nigerians.”
The ADC support group accused the APC-led Federal Government of using propaganda to divert attention from what it described as worsening poverty, inflation, unemployment and insecurity.
“Governance is not a census of ghosts. Leadership must be accountable, measurable and people-centred,” GMN declared.
“The APC should stop chasing headlines and face the real problems confronting Nigerians.
GMN called on civil society organisations and the media to demand evidence from the APC and subject its claimed 12.9 million membership figure to independent scrutiny.
The group maintained that Nigerians deserve a credible and transparent electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections, rather than what it described as “manufactured statistics” designed to create a perception of electoral dominance.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has disowned a purported announcement of a Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) under the name “OK Movement”, saying the publication credited to one John Ugulu did not emanate from the party.
The National Chairman of the party, Senator Cleopas Moses, made the position known in a statement on Saturday, stressing that only the party’s leadership has the authority to constitute and announce a Presidential Campaign Council.
Moses said the NDC “dissociates itself in totality” from the purported announcement and urged members of the public and the media to disregard it.
According to him, all candidates contesting under the platform of the NDC must recognise that they are not independent candidates but products of the party and are therefore subject to its authority and discipline.
“The party wishes to state categorically that only the party’s leadership can constitute and announce a Presidential Campaign Council, PCC,” he said.
The NDC chairman warned that no member, candidate or support group should take actions capable of undermining or demarketing the party, adding that no individual or group was authorised to announce, constitute or publish any campaign council, structure or organ in the name of the party without prior approval from the National Working Committee (NWC).
Moses acknowledged the contributions of support groups to the party, saying the NDC appreciated their efforts and remained open to welcoming more groups committed to its mission of “rescuing Nigeria”.
He, however, cautioned support groups against presenting themselves as alternative structures or parallel organs of the party.
The chairman also urged members and support groups with grievances against the party to use established internal channels rather than resorting to public attacks.
“We expect a stop to unnecessary attacks against the party on whose platform our candidates are running. If there are any differences or grievances, support groups and members are advised to refer such matters to the party through appropriate internal channels for resolution rather than resorting to public attacks,” Moses said.
On Ugulu, the NDC chairman said the party had decided to refer him to its appropriate disciplinary organ over what he described as “this act of affront and his excesses during the primary election in Lagos State” as well as his alleged repeated disregard for party authority.
He said the disciplinary action would be taken in accordance with the provisions of the party’s constitution.
Moses reaffirmed the NDC’s commitment to its issue-based campaign, saying the party remained focused on delivering what it described as “a New Nigeria that is Possible.”
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the final list of presidential candidates and their running mates for the January 2027 general elections.
The list, signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, released on Saturday in Abuja, featured candidates sponsored by 18 political parties competing for the office.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the gender distribution of the list showed that out of the 18 presidential flag bearers, 16 are male, representing 88.9 per cent, while two are female.
NAN also reports that the male contenders on the list include: Bola Tinubu of All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Atiku of African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Peter Obi of Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
Others are: Adewole Adebayo of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Oluseyi Makinde of Allied People’s Movement (APM), Donald Duke of People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Chibuzor Okereke of Labour Party (LP) and Omoyele Sowore of African Action Congress (AAC).
The only two female presidential candidates, which constitute 11.1 per cent of the number, are: Okwori Fredrick of National Democratic Party (NDP) and Dr Esther Okereke of National Redemption Party (NRM).News
The gender statistics of the vice-presidential candidates also shows that a total of 14 running mates are male, representing 77.8 per cent, while only four, representing 22.2 per cent, are female.
The female vice-presidential candidates are: Ofordile Egobia (APP), Abubakar Usaku (DLA), Konto Bintu (LP) and Patience Ndidi (YPP).
NAN reports that the commission also released the final list of candidates for the senate and the House of Representatives.(NAN)
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