By Lanre Oloyede
The crisis rocking the Enugu state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), has taken a worsening dimension as some critical stakeholders of the party from the state on Tuesday stormed the National Secretariat in Abuja to demand for dissolution of the State Working Committee led by the Chairman Ugochukwu Agballah.
The critical stakeholders led by the former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geofrey Onyeama, and Senator Ayogu Eze presented a petition containing their grievances to APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu at the party’s National Secretariat, Abuja.
The stakeholders also demanded immediate set up of a caretaker Committee to replace the dissolved State Executive.
According to the petition presented, the stakeholders alleged that: “The party in Enugu state recorded an unprecedented milestone of reinvention of itself during the last membership registration exercise.”
“The party rebounded in goodwill as membership soared and the Party continued on this positive trend into the ward and local government congresses and was cruising towards taking away the shine from the ruling party in the State.
“A major crack however emerged during the State Congress, when Mr. Ugochukwu Agballah was surreptitiously maneuvered into the party to become its State Chairman to the bewilderment and vehement opposition of a majority of the Party members who knew his antecedents as a person and in Enugu State politics.
“The Chairman may wish to recall that as Chairman of All Progressive Congress National Peace and Reconciliation Committee that Sallivan Chime, immediate past Governor of Enugu State had led a protest of stakeholders/elders of Enugu State All Progressive Congress Chapter against the emergence of Ugo Agaballah as State Chairman on two grounds: (1) Non-membership of Ugo Agballah and (2) Controversial and irregular process of Ugo Agballah’s emergence as State Chairman.
“Ugo Agballah was given the benefit of the doubt by a few leaders of the Party and issued a Certificate of Return. It was felt by those few leaders that the Party needed to change direction at all cost and have a vibrant leader who could finally unite the Party in the State. Unfortunately, the new Chairman did not waste time in proving those majority leaders who opposed his emergence correct in their warning.
