Jude Chinedu and Ifeanyi Okechi, Enugu
Fielding of candidates for the positions of chairmen and councillors in the forthcoming local government election in Enugu State has reignited crisis in the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Daily Sun gathered that two factions of the party may end up submitting separate lists of candidates to the state Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC).
A faction, yesterday, claimed to have on January 21, presented what it called “12 authentic chairmanship flag bearers” to ENSIEC after conducting primaries allegedly supervised by the party executive committee.
The exco led by Dr. Ben Nwoye and recognised by the national leadership, had recently indicated its readiness to field candidates for the electionif it saw sincerity on the part of ENSIEC to organise free and fair poll.
But a communique by deputy chairman of one of the factions, Adolphus Ude, also stated that the party chairman, Nwoye, was disqualified from the party’s electoral practices for the forthcoming local government election.
“We are aware and just as it is a known fact that Barr. Ben Nwoye and his purported APC exco leadership in Enugu state is not qualified to supervise, conduct and submit list of candidates to Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), for the forthcoming local government elections in Enugu state.
“This disqualification is based on the ruling of Court of Appeal Enugu division dated 17th day of January, 2019 before his Lordship Justice A. M. Liman. The court case is still pending at Appeal Court,” the communiqué stated.
Ude, however, lamented the protracted leadership tussle in the state chapter of the party, which according to him, “supposed not to have faction by now, had it been that the presidential peace and reconciliation committee headed by the Senate president had commenced their job in various states, we will have uniform list in Enugu State.”