From Fred Itua, Abuja
Ahead of Wednesday’s presidential rally of the All Progressives Congress in Enugu (APC), the Concerned Enugu APC Members says it has uncovered massive renting of the crowd from neighbouring states by the Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the party, Ugochukwu Agballah.
The body said it was part of the efforts to give the national leaders of the party and the presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a false sense of electoral security and inexistent efforts to boost the party in the state “whereas Agballah was in an actual sense killing the party.”
The group revealed this in a statement issued by its Leader and pioneer Deputy State Chairman of the APC in Enugu, Comrade Adolphus Ude, in Enugu on Tuesday.
The Concerned Enugu APC said it was another sign of failure for Chief Agballah to embark on crowd renting whereas the party could grow and showcase an organic support base across the State if well administered by credible persons.
“Faced with the reality of an empty venue, the Chairman of the APC in Enugu State has embarked on a crowd-shopping drive to deceive our national party leaders, particularly our presidential candidate, Senator Bola Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima.
“We can authoritatively disclose that Agballah and the governorship candidate, Chief Uchenna Nnaji, have engaged contractors to ferry rented crowd from Ebonyi, Anambra, Abia, Imo, Benue and other nearby states to come here and answer Enugu people at tomorrow’s rally for Asiwaju and Senator Shettima in order to save themselves the impending embarrassment of an empty venue. The national leadership of our party and the people of Enugu State should watch out for this fraudulent act by Agballah and his cohorts.
“It is a shame that they still have to shop for crowd beyond the borders of Enugu State even after they settled for Okpara Square, which is a very small venue compared to the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium. But can the people they are mobilising to Enugu tomorrow cast votes for our party during the general election? The answer is ‘No’.
“But we have an overwhelming population in Enugu, which if harnessed will give our party the support and result Asiwaju needs in Enugu State. In fact, there is no result we cannot achieve if the stakeholders and the leaders of the party come together in Enugu. But this is exactly what Agballah cannot deliver and does not also want,” he said.
