Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The 17 Local Government Chairmen of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State have dismissed the statement maligning the former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Chief Eugene Odoh.
The group said the mastermind of the statement, Mr Simon Attah, who claimed to be APC chairman in Igbo Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, was neither the APC chairman nor authorised to issue such statement.
In a press briefing by All the 17 LG APC Chairmen in the State on Friday, the chairman of the forum, Mr Ubah Onah, who is also the chairman of Igbo Eze South LG said Attah lacks the capacity to criticise the media interview.
Recall that Attah had criticised the former Speaker’s last media interview with TVC news where he raised concern on the recently inaugurated members of the South East Development Commission (SEDC).
Onah said that Mr Chibuike Onodagu is the Chairman of APC in Igbo Etiti and did not authorise Atta to issue such statement as he is not even an executive member at the ward level.
“It is very unfortunate that the individual made himself available to be used by the suspended state chairman of the party, Chief Ugochukwu Agballah, to deride their celebrated former Speaker Odoh.
“In the Press release, under reference, Mr Attah was read to have criticised Odoh for what they described as baseless, ignorant and unfounded allegations against the leadership of the South-East APC.
“This piece of statement is rather unfortunate, it suggested that it is either that Attah did not listen to the interview granted by Odoh or he intentionally deployed himself as an instrument in the service of detractors.
“The former Speaker in the said interview only criticised the manner federal appointees of South-East extraction were hitherto nominated by one person and celebrated the popular nominations into SEDC.
“We have listen to the interview, and it is not difficult to see that Odoh was passionate about his appreciations to the Federal Government and the National Assembly for creating the SEDC,” Onah hinted.
He then urged the public to disregard the unfounded attack against free speech expressed by the former Speaker.
