From: Emmanuel Uzor, Abakaliki
The crisis rocking the Ebonyi State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reached a crescendo with members accusing the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, of masterminding the crisis in the party.
Chairman of the party in the state, Ben Nwobasi, said the leadership tussle between him and his deputy, deputy Pastor Eze Nwachukwu, was caused by Onu.
Nwaobasi also claimed that the feud was aimed to sinking the party in the state and to undermine the efforts of party’s leaders in the state in reviving the party.
Nwobasi lamented that despite the court order by Ebonyi State High Court sitting in Abakaliki on November 6, 2014, restraining the National Chairman of the Party Chief John Odigie -Oyegun from dissolving any of the ward, local government or state executives of the party elected during the 2014 congresses in the state, the national chairman had violated the order by transmitting power to his deputy, Nwachukwu as Acting state chairman pending the amicable resolution of the crisis.
Nwaobasi, therefore, warned the Oyegun of the grave consequences of violating the order pending in court.
According to Nwaobasi, “In a dramatist twist after the ratification of the state congress by the national secretariat of APC, the state deputy chairman, Pastor Eze Nwachukwu pulled out from the entire executive led by the state chairman, Hon. Ben Nwobasi to impose himself as the Acting state chairman of the party”.
“After losing in his bid to alter the state congress of April 29, 2014, due to the defeat of his preferred choice for the state chairmanship, Hon. Patrick Igwe, Onu co-opted the state deputy chairman, Pastor Eze Nwachukwu as his own state chairman and further opened parallel party office along Abakaliki-Afikpo expressway which doubles as his 2019 Presidential campaign office”, Nwobasi said.
Nwobasi regretted that since after the Princess Adeshola Ndu-led congress committee in 2014 conducted the state congress, where he emerged and other state executives, Onu had busied himself exploring various avenues of creating crisis in the state chapter of the party.
Nwobasi continued, “It is on record that the 2014 state congress in Ebonyi state was adjudged by independent assessors as credible, free and fair APC congress and the Appeal Committee set up by the National Secretariat came to Ebonyi state and evaluated petitions and investigated all complaints and made their report to the national secretariat which led to the ratification of Nwobasi led executives”.
He also noted with dismay Onu’s antiparty activities in the2015 general elections in the state which led to the abysmal performance of the party in the state, lamenting that the Minister has renewed his antics to further cause crisis in the party ahead of the forth coming general election in the south east states.
The state chairman hinted that Onu has lost his political relevance in the state but still determined to ensure that the APC is not visible in the state, and further challenged him to mention his contributions to the APC’s victory or growth in the state.
Nwobasi, therefore, called on Oyegun to reverse the purported transmission of power to his deputy, stressing, “Ben Nwobasi still remains the valid elected chairman of Ebonyi state APC until otherwise reversed by the court of competent Jurisdiction in Nigeria”.
He further called on all members of the party in the state to disregard any comments and actions taken by Nwachukwu on behalf of the party in the state, without his authorization as “Nwachukwu is alone impostor”.