ENUGU—The All Progressives Congress (APC), Udi/Agbudu ward, in Udi local government area of Enugu state, recently, passed a vote of confidence on Chief Ugochukwu Agballah as the state chairman of the party.
The ward dismissed as fake and unfounded the recent news in the social media about a purported expulsion of the state chairman, Agballah, who is also from the ward.
The ward also passed a vote of confidence on the party’s Chairman in Udi/Agbudu ward, Mr. Clinton Chinedu Ezeago and his executive.
Rising from an emergency ward meeting attended by more than 1000 members, the party described as strange the recent reports in the social media purporting the expulsion of the state chairman by “unknown” ward chairman and secretary.
The party said that one Ferdinand Aduma and Francis Onyia, who are signatories to the purported expulsion letter are known members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), being used to cause distraction in the APC as the ruling PDP was afraid of the growing popularity and acceptance of APC in the state.
The party members insisted that the persons behind the expulsion letter are not members of the APC in Udi/Agbudu ward.
They alleged that the PDP was daily financing ludicrous crisis using willing individuals, stressing that PDP was relying on strategies it has used in the past to destabilise APC in the state.
In a communique issued at the end of the meeting and jointly signed by the APC Chairman, Udi/Agbudu ward , Chinedu Ezeago and Secretary, Chinedu Onyia, the party faithful maintained that no sane member or executive of the party, except those who are afraid of APC’s impending victory, would nurse the idea of expelling the state chairman of the party few months to election.
They said there was never a time members of the party deliberated on issues concerning the state chairman neither was there any disciplinary committee set up to take disciplinary action against the state chairman of the party.
While describing the “phantom” expulsion as laughable, the party said, the action of the two fake individuals masquerading as APC ward executives, and who signed the purported suspension letter, showed they have no knowledge of the party’s constitution.
The communique stated that Section 21.3 Vi (b) of the APC 26th March 2022 Constitution, as amended, stipulates that if there is any report against a member at the ward level, the local government area executive shall be the adjudicators stressing that the ward executive lacks the powers to look into any complaint at the ward level.
They observed that the said “debarment, suspension and expulsion” letter did not state or allege any offence committed by the state chairman.
While declaring the letter as “ill-conceived”, they urged members of the public to discountenance the fictitious and false debarment, suspension and expulsion as the letter did not emanate from APC Udi/ Agbudu ward.
The motion for vote of confidence on the state chairman, Agballah as well as the Udi/Agbudu ward leadership was moved by Hon. Patrick Eneh, while Chief Onah Livinus Chukwunwike seconded.
The communique reads in full:
“We, the members of APC , Udi/Agbudu ward at our emergency ward meeting held on Tuesday, 23 August 2020 at Eke Udi Square do hereby disclaim the false and purported expulsion, suspension and debarment of our performing and illustrious son as a member of APC, Udi/Agbudu ward and Chairman of APC, Enugu State, as stated in a widely publicised letter dated 19th August 2022 and signed by two characters who completely unknown to the party”.
“The signatories, Mr. Ferdinand Aduma and Mr. Francis Onyia, and not ward Chairman and Ward Secretary respectively of APC, Udi/Agbudu ward. Our chairman is Mr. Clinton Chinedu Ezeago and our ward secretary is Mr. Francis Chinedu Onyia. Mr. Ferdinand Aduma and Mr. Francis Onyia are not members of APC and have never attended any of our meetings since 23rd February 2022. This can be verified from party’s attendance register. Their names are not and have never appeared on our party’s attendance register. Both left the party prior to the 23rd February 2022 councillorship election and are known members of PDP Udi/ Agbudu award. Mr. Ferdinand Aduma and Mr. Francis Onyia have both joined PDP since February 2022 having openly campaigned, voted and worked for PDP during the chairmanship and councillorship election of 23 February 2022. Which sane APC party members or executives of APC will be suspending, expelling and debarring their most hard working state chairman few months to election, if not those who are afraid of the impending victory at the polls. This impending APC victory is made possible by the competent, capable and foresighted state chairman. There was never a meeting of APC Udi/Agbudu ward where the issue of suspension, debarment or expulsion or otherwise of our state chairman, the Honorable Ugochuckwu Agballah was ever raised or anytime, any manner of report was raised against him or any disciplinary committee set up on such a report or disciplinary action taken, as our state Chairman has not committed any infractions against the constitution of the party. We met last week on Wednesday 17th August 2022. The meeting was recorded on video and the minutes captured in our minutes notebook.
“At that meeting, we had 248 members in attendance and nobody raised the issue of any report whatsoever against our hardworking state chairman. From a careful reading of the laughable and phantom expulsion letter, one can deduce that the writers of the debarment suspension and expulsion letter are not conversant with the Constitution or procedure for disciplinary actions as contained in our party’s constitution. Section 21.3vi(b) of the APC 26 March 2022 constitution as amended stipulates that, if there is a report against a member at the ward level, the local government area executive shall be the adjudicators. Therefore, the ward executive lacks the power to look into any complaint or the word level. Ignorance of the party constitution explains why the writers debarred, suspended and expelled at the same time”.
Secondly, no reason was given for such an action, and neither was any offense alleged or stated in the ill-conceived fake letter. Since the election of Honorable Ugochuckwu Agballah as the state chairman, our party in Udi/Agbudu award has recorded membership increased to 2450 from the former membership of less than 100 members. This increase is due singularly to his financial support, popularity and unquantifiable mobilization efforts, not to talk of his wide acceptance by the entire community.
“The leadership of PDP is worried over the growing acceptance of APC in Enugu state, and is daily financing ludicrous crisis using PDP moles in APC. This is one of the strategies PDP used in destabilizing APC in the past using the same characters who organized this failed putsch.”
“We the entire executive and members of the APC Udi/Agbudu ward, do hereby urged the public to discountenance, the fictitious and false debarment, suspension and expulsion as the letter did not emanate from Udi/Agbudu ward”.
“We also reaffirm our unalloyed support and confidence on the membership of our illustrious, competent, capable result-driven son, leader, revolutionary ,dynamic, loved and loving statemen-like, savior of the downtrodden masses of Enugu state, the dread of looters and corrupt politicians, the fear of fifth columnists and comprador agents of PDP in APC”.
