2023: PDP speaks on crisis tearing APC apart in Enugu

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State has disassociated itself from a raging crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state and recent protest by some members of the party in Abuja.

The spokesperson of the Enugu State PDP Campaign Council, Nana Ogbodo, stated this at a press conference on Tuesday in Enugu.

The APC in the state has been enmeshed in crisis over allegation of non-payment of their “convention allowances” to the tune of $1.5 million by the party’s leadership in the state.

The convention to elect the party’s presidential candidate- which was won by Bola Tinubu – was held in June.

On Monday, some aggrieved members of the APC in the state under the aegis of “Concerned Enugu State APC” besieged the party’s national secretariat in Abuja demanding the payment of their convention allowances.

The protesters accused the state APC chairman, Ugochukwu Agballah and the party’s governorship candidate, Uche Nnaji, of embezzling the convention funds.

Fidelis Edeh, the Director-General of State APC Campaign Council, has since denied the allegations of embezzlement against the party leaders.

The State APC chairman, Mr Agballah, and other party leaders in the state, were said to have accused the PDP in the state of sponsoring the protests and crisis in the APC to destabilise the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.

But Mr Ogbodo said the PDP in the state had no hands in the crisis rocking the APC, saying it was unfortunate that the party would drag the PDP into its internal squabbles and corruption allegations.

“We have, as usual, been dragged into a purely APC affair by the loquacious Ugochukwu Agballah, who has claimed that the protesters were sponsored by the PDP. Of course, Agballah’s penchant for looking for scapegoats rather than face his demons is legendary,” he said.

The PDP chieftain urged Mr Agballah “to go home and settle with his aggrieved party members and restitute to them whatever he has taken from them” rather than falsely accusing the PDP of sponsoring the protest and crisis in the APC.

He said the crisis in the APC has a long history and predated the current electioneering season.

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He recalled that some aggrieved APC members had “petitioned and physically” led a protest to the national chairman of the party in August, where they called for Mr Agballa’s immediate removal from office and appointment of a caretaker chairman.

“This is not a fight between the PDP and the APC; it is squarely a fight between angry and deprived APC members and a greedy and conceited party leadership,” he stated.

Call on EFCC for investigation

The PDP asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the allegations of financial misappropriation in the APC.

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“Importantly, we call on the EFCC to step in to investigate the weighty allegations of embezzlement of well over N1,3 billion boldly made against the duo of Chief Ugo Agballah and Chief Uche Nnaji by well-known APC party leaders,” Mr Ogbodo said.

The party challenged Mr Agballah to carry out his threat of suing the PDP for defamation, saying such action would “afford his aggrieved party members the opportunity to further showcase his nakedness” to the world.

“Ironically, if anybody deserves to be sued for defamation over this matter, it is Agballah, who has defamed the Enugu PDP and its governorship candidate by dragging them into a matter that has absolutely nothing to do with them,” he added.