By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The All Progressive Congress, APC, National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has insisted that the Ugochukwu Agballah-led State Working Committee, SWC, remains the authentic and recognized leadership of the party in Enugu State.
This is just as he warned the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission, ENSIEC, to henceforth refrain from any dealings with impostors in the name of the APC.
He, also, warned that any further dealings with some faceless entities, masquerading as officials of the party will attract a legal challenge.
The Source reports that the Enugu APC has been embroiled in a smearing leadership tussle in the last few weeks.
On Friday, August 9, 2024, a faction of the party led by Nwafor Onyeacholam had obtained an order from an Enugu High Court restraining the Agballah-led SWC from parading itself as such.
The restraining order issued by Justice CVC Ezeugwu, also, bars Agballah and other officials from accessing the party offices and assets, including bank accounts.
It, similarly, restrained relevant authorities, including electoral bodies from dealing with the Agballah- leadership on behalf of the APC.
Before then, the Onyeacholam group had slammed an indefinite suspension order on the same Agballah-led SWC citing alleged abuse of office and highhandedness as reasons.
But the Embattled Agballah, at once, dismissed the suspension and restraining orders as the handiwork of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP-led administration in Enugu State.
At an enlarged stakeholders meeting last week featuring major chieftains, including Federal Government functionaries from the State, the Agballahi-led leadership slammed a suspension order on no fewer than 20 members of the Onyeacholam faction, insisting that they are moles planted by the Governor Peter Mba-PDP administration to destabilize the party in the State .
Agballah noted that the constitution of the APC does not allow members to resort to legal actions, without first exploring all the internal dispute resolution mechanism .
Ganduje’s cautionary note to ANSIEC is coming on the heels of the forthcoming Enugu State Local Council Polls in which the APC has signaled intentions to participate.
But the ANSIEC appears not to be ready to do business with the Agballah-led leadership, preferring, instead, to deal with the Onyeacholam faction in deference to the earlier Court injunction slammed on Agballah-led SWC .
The APC National Chairman in an official letter dated August, 26, 2024, and addressed to the State Electoral Body noted that the Party will no longer tolerate a situation whereby the ANSIEC will continue to be dealing with unknown persons in connection with the schedule local council election.
He described the actions of the Enugu State electoral umpire as a deliberate ploy to undermine APC in Enugu state.
Dr Ganduje in the letter ,which he personally signed ,expressed concern that the Prof Christian Ngwu led ENSIEC could be dealing with some persons on behalf of the APC without due diligence enquiries on and or verification of the identities of those it is dealing with .
” Our attention has been drawn to your Commission’s meddling with ,and undue interference with the management ,Control, and Administration of the All Progressive Congress as a political party especially in Enugu state by Commission’s recognition and acceptance of a group of faceless who are unknown to the party as the authorized officers of the All Progressive Congress in Enugu state in violation of the Constitution of APC and the extant laws of Nigeria .
You Commission has on its own accord , chosen to engage with this group of faceless people who were neither elected officers of the party nor accredited Representatives of the party for the purposes of the conduct of the October 5 ,2024 ,Local Government Elections in Enugu state ..
We state that the actions of your Commission violates the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ,and the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 under which the All Progressive Congress was lawfully registered.
Kindly be informed that Hon Ugochukwu Agballah is the duly elected and recognized State Chairman of the All Progressive Congress in Enugu State and is the only Officer authorized by our Party to submit names for the Chairmanship and Councilorship election that would be conducted by your electoral commission” part of the letter reads .
The APC National Chairman noted that should the ENSIEC continue to ignore the official position of the party, it will be left with no other option than to resort to legal remedies .
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