Magnus Eze, Enugu
Few weeks to the party’s primaries, a factional Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), in Enugu State, Mr. Okey Ogbodo, has said that the crisis within the state chapter, believed to have simmered with the inauguration of Mr. Ben Nwoye as chairman, was far from being over.
Ogbodo said that the leadership tussle arising from the acrimonious party congresses held in May this year has been in court and, therefore, could not be said to be over.
Reacting to a recent statement credited to the Director General, Voice of Nigeria, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, stating that the crisis had been resolved with Nwoye as the state chairman, Ogbodo described it as a distortion of facts, aimed at deceiving party faithful in the state.
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“That claim, was clearly a distortion of facts by the source aimed at misleading the party members in Enugu state; and the public and would further deepen the crisis. The reporter/writer of that story should have also made efforts to confirm the authenticity of such claim from the other faction before going to the press.
“To put records straight, the leadership tussle resulting from that congress is still pending in court for judgment while the status quo remains, with the Okey Ogbodo leadership in place until the court rules otherwise,” he stated.
He also said that a court order restraining Nwoye from parading himself as the chairman of APC in Enugu state with his purported executives was properly served on the party’s former National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
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Mindful of the need to have a united front in the state chapter of the party, Ogbodo declared that his faction would respect the court processes in line with the integrity and philosophy of their leader, President Muhammadu Buhari.
He continued “The ultimate desire of the other faction is not to build the party but as a bargaining tool to trade. What an aberration? On what moral basis can you effectively challenge your political opponent that gives you gifts? They answer APC in the day time and PDP arm of APC at night. It is not our wish to wash our dirty linen outside since we belong to the same party if not for this misleading publication of 5th August, 2018.
“As responsible and law abiding leadership, we will abide by the court processes. We look forward to a more united APC as soon as the court processes are completed.”