Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
The All Progressives Congress (APC), South-East Zone has ratified the suspension of members guilty of anti-party activities in Enugu and Abia States.
In a memo published in some national dailies on Wednesday by the Zonal Secretariat of APC, the party stated that the ratification followed the South-East Executive Meeting of APC on Sunday April 16, 2023.
The Zonal Executive headed by Dr. Ijeomah Arodiogbu, the national Vice Chairman South-East, agreed that, in order to strengthen APC in the zone, “the party must enforce discipline amongst its members.”
“To this end, the South-East Zonal Executive received the list of suspended party members as reported by Abia State Executives and Enugu State Executives of APC.”
Those found guilty of anti-party activities by their Ward Executives and ratified by the Zonal State Executive, include: former Senate President, Sen Ken Nnamani; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; former Gov Sullivan Chime; former Speaker of Enugu state House of Assembly, Hon Eugene Odo; Director General Voice of Nigeria, Mr Osita Okechukwu and former Commissioner in Enugu state, Barr Joe Mammel.
Others are: SA to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Flavour Eze; former chairman of the party in the state, Ben Nwoye; former deputy state chairman, A. C. Udeh; Obodoeze Ocho; Chukwudi Igwe; Kingsley Uduji; former Military gov, Joe Orji; Mr. Maduka Arum (A.K.A Mama) and Chidera Obed.
Those whose suspension were ratified from Abia State are Senator Orji Uzor Kalu; Hon Sam Nkeire; Hon. Uche Sampson Ogah; Senator Nkechi Nworgu; amongst others.
While responding to the ratification of the suspension of the party chieftains from Enugu, the Publicity Secretary of APC in Enugu State, Ezeanyawu Michael, said the action was “a right step in the right direction.”
“I want to further use this opportunity to call on the APC leadership, at both the state and national levels, not to relent in its efforts to rid the party of saboteurs.”
It would be recalled that the Enugu State Executive Committee (SEC) of the APC recently announced the expulsion as well as suspension of prominent members of the party, who allegedly worked against the party during the just concluded general election.
The State Secretary of APC, Robert Ngwu (PhD), who addressed a press conference in Enugu at the end of the party’s SEC meeting, presented the report of the party’s Disciplinary and Fact Finding Committee recommendations which were ratified by the SEC during her meeting.
Ngwu said, “The Party is fully aware of the nefarious activities of the previous administration of the Party in the 2015 and 2019 General Election.
“With that in mind, the Party reviewed various petitions and reports from the Fact-Finding Committee, and the disciplinary committee against some individuals.
“They are Sen. Ken Nnamani, Barr. Sullivan Chime, Hon. Geoffrey Onyeama, Hon. Eugene Odoh, Mr Osita Okechukwu, and others, (Ozor Joe Mmamel, Mr Maduka Arum, and Mr Flavor Eze from their different local government areas. The petition focused on anti-party activities and other offences against the APC.”
While the party alleged that Sen Ken Nnamani and Sullivan Chime openly endorsed and campaigned for the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Mbah; Geoffrey Onyeama and his SA, Flavour Eze, allegedly campaigned for the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi and worked for the Governorship candidate of PDP, Mbah, using Federal Government palliatives like cooking stove, wrappers, rice and garri.
The report alleged that the VON-DG, Okechukwu; former Speaker, Odoh; former Commissioner, Mmamel and Maduka Arum similarly engaged in different forms of anti-party activities which negatively affected the party’s performance in the state.
The State secretary stated that after conducting a thorough investigation into the allegations of anti-party activities leveled against the respective party leaders, “it was regrettably confirmed that the reports and evidences gathered by the fact-finding committee point to their guilt.”
