The All Progressives Congress (APC), Enugu state has dismissed as mischievous, reports that it was unable to renew her office rent in Enugu.
The party was reacting to reports that the Labour Party has taken over and unveiled APC Enugu office due to the party’s inability to renew the lease
The party in a statement by the state chairman, Hon. Ugochukwu H. Agballah, through his Media Assistant, Comr. Kenneth Ofoma, and made available to journalists in Enugu recently, stated that the new leadership of the party in the state merely avoided dabbling into legal tango as the owner of the property had already dragged the former chairman of the party, Ben Nwoye to court, for accumulated debts despite Nwoye claiming that he spent millions of naira on the lease.
The APC chairman said that the party already has a better and more befitting office in town and had little or no use for the disputed office.
The statement reads, “We have noted with regret the reports of the takeover and unveiling of the former All Progressives Congress (APC) Enugu State Secretariat, at No 126 Park Ave, GRA Enugu, by the Labour Party as its new office.
“It is, however, rumored that this takeover is a result of the inability of the new leadership of our great party to renew the rent.
“This is not only petty but laughable and hardly needs any formal rebuttal before the wise and discerning public on this deliberately concocted and peddled lies by the enemies of the people to whom the unmatched success of the new leadership of the All Progressives Congress in the state is of great surprise and pain.
“For formalities, however,
we wish to bring it to the notice of the public, that the said takeover and unveiling of the former APC Enugu State Secretariat by the Labour Party as its new office, is not a result of the inability of our party to renew the rent, but rather a deliberate decision by the new leadership of the party in the state to disassociate itself from the unclear deals of the Ben Nwoye led former executives of the party with the landlord of the said office, which is now a subject of litigation.
“The Ben Nwoye-led executive, unfailing to its crooked nature and penchant for diversion and misappropriation of public funds, was owing the landlord of the said office some four years rent, despite fully receiving funds duly appropriated and sent by the national leadership of the party for the payment of the rent over the said years.
“Ben Nwoye has since been unable to explain either to the national leadership of the party or its new leadership in the state why he refused to apply the funds released by the party for the rent for which it was disbursed over the years.
“The Hon. Ugochukwu Agballah led new executive, true to its disposition for clarity of records, refused to renew the lease as it would have made them inherit a liability left by Ben Nwoye, who is currently facing numerous investigations and charges; the former by the Nigerian Police and the latter at the High Court by former members of his executives, both bothering on the misappropriation of funds.
“Moreover, we have the best furnished office of any party in the state at No. 81 Nza Street, Independence layout, Enugu.
“Therefore, we want to equally use this opportunity to thank the noble members of our great party in the state and the general public for their massive support for the new leadership of the party in the state”.
The statement noted that through the support of party members and the public, the Hon. Ugochukwu Agballah-led administration, together with the party’s Governorship Candidate, Chief Uche Nnaji, Nwakaibie, has been able to achieve an unprecedented record of grassroots outreach in the just concluded tours of the 260 wards in the state.
The state chairman stated that subject to the tours, membership of the party in the state has grown by over 500%, and, most importantly, the boost in the level of assurance and confidence that the party had been able to reawaken in the people in the process of these tours was unprecedented.
“The confidence of an endless capacity, viability, seriousness, and commitment of our party to the single most decisive objective of liberating Enugu State from the hands of those who have held it, hostage, for the past 24 years, has now been implanted and widely acknowledged and celebrated by the mass of the men and women of Enugu State.
“More than ever before, the All Progressives Congress in Enugu State, under the leadership of the world-class capacity Chairman, Ugochukwu Agballah, is now prepared to offer a glaring alternative of good governance to the people of the state.
“It is not time to fall for cheap rumors and distractions. More than ever, the party now has all it takes to achieve its electoral objectives of victory at the polls. The human capital for sincere and committed party leadership, the will and passion for the constitution of real change in the social and economic lives of the people of the state, and the financial muscle to implement all necessary strategies for the achievement of these objectives, are at our disposal.
“It is impossible to have a party whose governorship candidate and well-meaning stakeholders have undertaken to finance the presidential elections in the state, to be incapable of renewing an ordinary rent or lease,” the statement noted.
The party stressed that the Hon. Ugochukwu Agballah-led administration was committed to following due processes and showing sincerity in the clarity of records as those would be her modus operandi at the Lion Building, come 2023.
“We thank you all and we urge you to remain committed to the struggle for the liberation of this state while leaving the litigation encumbered Ben Nwoye to sort himself out before the court and the Nigerian Police investigation Department”. Ends
