APC Enugu Party Bigwigs Boycott Tinubu’s Presidential Rally

By Uche Mbah

Candidate Tinubu dismisses Nigerians leaving the Country over hardship as “suffer-suffer”

The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress, APC,  Enugu State Chapter, came to a head Wednesday, January 11, 2023, when virtually all the big names in the State boycotted the rally organized by the State chapter of the party for the benefit of their Presidential flagbearer, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Tinubu was in Enugu to canvass for votes in his quest to become Nigeria’s President come 2023.

Though the party bigwigs  were at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport to receive Tinubu, they all left en mass to the home of Sullivan Chime, former Governor of the State.

Tinubu, however, addressed the rally at the Michael Okpara square, the venue settled for, after initial controversy about using the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium.

Those who boycotted the rally include Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, former Enugu Governor, Sullivan Chime, former Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly,  Eugene Odoh, former Secretary to the Enugu State Government,  Onyemuche Nnamani,  Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, the immediate past chairman of the Party in the State, Ben Nwoye, and Juliet Ibekaku who works at the Presidency.

The stakeholders were to later brief journalists in their bid to justify their absence at the rally.

Speaking on their behalf, Sullivan Chime, immediate past Governor of the state under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, blamed the State Chairman Ugochukwu Agbala, for their action, which was meant to send a “clear signal” to Aso Rock, which has largely ignored their protests against the Chairman.

He lamented that the situation took them to Aso Rock where they led a peaceful delegation to protest his appointment and imposition by the South east APC leader, Governor Hope Uzodinma. According to him, nothing has come out of that protest.

“We received our Presidential candidate at the Airport. We believe in him, he is the best.”, he said.

“However, we were not there at Okpara square because of internal crisis within the party in Enugu state. The party had been in disarray, since the imposition of someone who is not a member of the party as the Chairman.

“The Party leaders went to Abuja, complained, but nobody took them seriously. The issues continued. So, we have to distance ourselves from the local chapter of the party.

“We will ensure that he (Tinubu) gets more than the required 25 percent. Enugu must be counted” he concluded.

Part of his grudge was a violation of the unwritten principle of zoning, where both the Governorship candidate and his deputy are from the same senatorial zone.

Pledging that they will work towards victory of the party while distancing themselves from the organization of the rally,  former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, lamented that the party has been hijacked by an “external body”, apparently referring to Imo state Governor, Hope Uzodinma. He insisted that this made the Chairman to boldly run the party as a sole administrator. He complained that prominent people have been sidelined in the party.

Prior to the rally, a Group, the Concerned Enugu All Progressives Congress, APC Members, had claimed the Chairman of Enugu state chapter of the party,Chief Ugochukwu Agballah,  embarked on massive renting of crowds from neighboring states  for the rally. The group, which appears to work at cross purposes with the official APC in the state, claims that the Chairman was desperate to impress Tinubu with the crowd but, according to them, he is actually “killing the party”.

In a statement issued by its Leader and pioneer Deputy State Chairman of the APC in Enugu, Comrade Adolphus Ude, Tuesday, in Enugu, the group faulted the confidence of the Chairman who, according to them, could not grow organic crowd for the party.

“Faced with the reality of an empty venue, the Chairman of the APC in Enugu State has embarked on a crowd-shopping drive to deceive our national party leaders, particularly our presidential candidate, Senator Bola Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima.”, the statement read.

“We can authoritatively disclose that Agballah and the governorship candidate, Chief Uchenna Nnaji, have engaged contractors to ferry rented crowd from Ebonyi, Anambra, Abia, Imo, Benue and other nearby states to come here and answer Enugu people at tomorrow’s rally for Asiwaju and Senator Shettima in order to save themselves the impending embarrassment of an empty venue. The national leadership of our party and the people of Enugu State should watch out of this fraudulent act by Agballah and his cohorts.

“It is a shame that they still have to shop for crowd beyond the borders of Enugu State even after they settled for Okpara Square, which is a very small venue compared to the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium. But can the people they are mobilizing to Enugu tomorrow cast votes for our party during the general election? The answer is ‘No’.

“But we have an overwhelming population in Enugu, which if harnessed will give our party the support and result Asiwaju needs in Enugu State. In fact, there is no result we cannot achieve if the stakeholders and the leaders of the party come together in Enugu. But this is exactly what Agballah cannot deliver and does not also want”, the statement said.

Meanwhile, at the rally, Tinubu appealed for South- east votes, promising to make Igboland an industrial hub if elected. He also said he will revive the coal mines in Enugu if elected. He took a swipe at those running away from the Country.

“Those who are running to overseas are ‘suffer, suffer.’  We have been there.  Anybody who tells you that you cannot do something, pray you can do it,” he said.