Enugu state stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress, APC have called on the National Deputy Chairman, North of the party, Alh Ali Dalori to stop undermining the state chapter through the appointment of Mr Ben Nwoye as a staff in the national secretariat of the party.

The call was contained in a communique issued at the end of the stakeholders’ meeting held in Enugu on Saturday.

The party said that Mr Nwoye was removed from office as state chairman of APC in 2020 by his state Exco for allegedly supporting PDP in the state, a suspension that was ratified by the South East zonal executive of the party.

The communique read by the state chairman, Barr. Ugochukwu Agballah stated that during the 2023 general elections “Mr Ben Nwoye publicly burnt the party’s flag and later declared for PDP in a public rally,” adding that  he (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 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 not 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 between 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,” the stakeholders explained.

The APC stakeholders, who reviewed the state of the Nation, however, 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.

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

They therefore expressed confidence and total support for President Tinubu, 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,” they added.

The party stakeholders further expressed their 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,” they added.

The Enugu APC stakeholders equally congratulated Sen Hope Uzodimma for his resounding electoral victory in Imo state recently.

“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. They further congratulated the Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru for his Appeal Court victory and affirmation of his resounding victory at the polls during the 2023 general elections.

On the recent Local Government election time table released by the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), the APC stakeholders expressed strong objection to the jam-packed activities, which they said, was intended to wear down the opposition parties.

Disclosing that the APC Enugu was still in court with ENSIEC for allegedly disenfranchising APC candidates and the “shoddy conduct of the last LG election.”

“The court matter is still subsisting even as the state authorities have been employing all manner of delay tactic to thwart justice,” they alleged, adding that the party will in no distant time address the general public on her final position on the proposed local government elections in the state

The communique further reads: “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.

“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.”