Ebonyi APC in Turmoil
A letter by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress appointing Eze Nwachukwu as the acting chairman of the party in Ebonyi, has escalated the leadership crisis rocking the party in the state, writes Benjamin Nworie
Aletter purported to have been transmitted by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun to the Ebonyi state deputy chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Pastor Eze Nwachukwu to act as the acting state chairman of the party has further escalated the leadership crisis in the state chapter of the party.
The state chairman of the Party, Ben Nwobasi said that Oyegun’s action was an affront and a breach of the constitution of the party which he swore to protect. He said his deputy was appointed as acting chairman of the party based on a “concocted and unsubstantiated claim” that he has been suspended from the party.
The decision to appoint Nwachukwu as acting chairman of the party is already causing confusion among members as they try to choose who among the two is authentic and recognized by law. The two claimants are also not ready to back down with each insisting that he is the authentic chairman of the party in the state.
The crisis, which started in 2014 after the state congresses conducted by Princess Adeshola Ndu and has now taken several dimensions, only to be exacerbated by Oyegun’s letter.
It was gathered that some members of the party visited Oyegun in a bid to lobbying him for a sectional settlement of the crisis, by appointing the state deputy chairman of the party, as the acting chairman pending amicable resolution of the crisis.
Nwachukwu’s sponsors are believed to be defectors from the Labour Party who felt that they did not stand a chance of getting anything from the party under the Nwobasi leadership because of his closeness to Senator Julius Ucha. The fear is that with Ucha solidly behind Nwobasi, it may be difficult for any person to infiltrate the party for self aggrandizement.
Those uncomfortable with Oyegun’s decision to appoint Nwachukwu as acting chairman accused him of not given
Nwobasi fair hearing before taken decision. Nwachukwu had on May 4, 2015 claimed that there was a meeting of State Executive Committee of APC, where vote of no confidence was passed on Nwobasi. But, a letter signed by Nwobasi and 13 other State Working Committee members which was addressed to Oyegun stated that no such meeting of SEC recognized by the party’s constitution was held on that day or any day for such.
According to the letter “Article 25B (i) and (v) of the APC constitution, 2014 (as amended) , a meeting of SEC Ebonyi state can only be called by the Chairman or by a written request of at least 2/3 of SEC members within a minimum of 14 days notice.
“The so called SEC meeting of May 4, 2015 was neither called by the Chairman nor by written request of at least 2/3 of SEC members in Ebonyi state and we maintained that no such SEC meeting was called and or attended by SEC members”.
However, a source at the national secretariat of the party revealed that Oyegun’s action has also ignited fresh squabbles among the National Working Committee of the party. The source said members of the committee were not consulted before the national chairman appointed Nwachukwu acting chairman of the party in Ebonyi.
The source noted that Oyegun could not hide his support for Nwachukwu’s group despite the court a court order restraining the National Chairman and the party from dissolving or conducting another ward, Local government or state congresses in the state.
Obviously acting on the bidding of the lobbyists, Oyegun reportedly appointed Nwachukwu as the acting state chairman, citing the overall interest of some leaders of the party for his decision.
Some APC members in the state described Oyegun’s decision as an affront to the law because he chose to appoint Nwachukwu as acting chairman while a matter was pending in court over the issue. Already, he had been served with a Form 48 (notice of disobedience to a court order). The Registrar of Ebonyi State High Court in the form dated March 13, 2017 issued to Oyegun and APC as defendants in the suit noted “take notice that unless you obey the directives(s) contained in this order you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be committed to prison”.
The SEC had on January 13, 2016 in a resolution mandated Nwobasi to go to court to stop Nwachkwu from parading himself as the acting chairman.
Some observers within the party have also tried to link the change in the party leadership in the state to the Minister for
Science and technology, Dr. Ogbonnay Onu, whom they said wanted a loyalist as state chairman.
Since the appointment of Nwachukwu as acting chairman, the fortunes of the party have further dimmed compared to what it was when Nwobasi was fully in charge. He embarked on a membership drive which took him to all the council areas and community all in efforts to boost the party membership base.
Not deterred by Oyegun’s letter, Nwobasi has continued with the activities of the party geared towards participating in the forthcoming local government election.
However, the nature of the division in Ebonyi APC is such that both parties will always disagree on any program or policy in the state. For instance, while Nwobasi insisted that APC would participate in the council election, Nwachukwu had given contrary directive that his party would not take part in the election.
In line with his position that the APC should not boycott the council elections, Nwobasi has embarked on a tour of all the 171 wards in the state canvassing for supports for the party. He enthused that APC would emerge victorious on the polls, urging interested aspirants to pick their nomination forms and await primaries of the party soon.
At Ekpomaka Ward in Ikwo Local government, thousands of APC supporters attended a solidarity rally for President Muhammadu Buhari. The rally was also aimed at preparing the people for the coming council polls and the need to support the party.
The teeming supporters chanted solidarity songs in support of the president and Nwobasi even as they pledged their loyalty to the party. Nwobasi begged them to continue to pray for the President, noting that the problem in the state was that those appointed by the president had failed woefully to bring democratic dividends to the state.
He said it was most unfortunate that some of the Federal appointees had not contributed anything to the development of the party in the state, adding that the state has no record of impact of Onu’s appointment since he was appointed minister.
Nwobasi maintained that he remained the state party chairman until the national leadership directed otherwise. He said that until the national leadership of the party directed otherwise any other person parading himself as acting chairmanwas an “impostor”.
With the confusion further created by Oyegun’s letter, it has become more difficult to advance the fortunes of the party in the state.
Many in the state believe that the fight over the leadership of the party is has to do with the 2019 governorship election in the state. Some said that those who wanted Nwachukwu to lead the party are trying to whittle down the influence of the former senator of Ebonyi Central zone and 2015 APC governorship candidate, Senator Julius Ali Ucha. Ucha is seen as a political big force in Ebonyi politics that his ambition can
shape and reshape the political landscape in the state.
Interestingly, that APC is visible in the state was because of Ucha.
However, the nature of the division in Ebonyi APC is such that both parties will always disagree on any program or policy in the state. For instance, while Nwobasi insisted that APC would participate in the council election, Nwachukwu had given contrary directive that his party would not take part in the election