2017 LG polls: Enugu APC moves to upturn the table, sets up two committees

AHEAD of the local government elections in December this year, the Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has set up two committees as part of its practical moves to win the polls in the state.

The two committees are the local government elections committee, headed by the former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Eugene Odoh, and a reconciliation committee headed by former Military Administrator of Gombe State, Group Captain Joe Oji (Rtd).

Chairman of APC Enugu State, Dr Ben Nwoye while announcing the setting up of the committees and other resolutions after the end of the party’s maiden state caucus meeting in Enugu, expressed the determination of the party to take over Enugu State in 2019 starting with the forthcoming council elections.

Dr Nwonye said, “Leaders of the party gathered and deliberated fruitfully and successfully as it relates to the administration of the party, as well as the future of the party. Political parties are meant to go into election and win election. And the major agreement we had today is that APC Enugu State is ready to participate in the local government election if and when the time table for the election is released.

According to him, “The issue of whether or not Enugu State APC will go into election is resolved today, that if the ruling party in the state (PDP) honestly decides that they want to have a local government election, to follow the legislative process of one, announcing the time table and all other legislative emphasis, we are ready.”

The APC boss noted that the caucus acknowledged the need to have reconciliation committee “to look into issues that people who are aggrieved may have brought up in the three senatorial districts. That is not to say that those who had gone through constitutional process, that anything will be done; but those who are aiding cleavages of issues which arose, the (reconciliation) committee will look into it.”

He said that the wind of change had started to blow in Enugu’s political atmosphere with unprecedented migration of political heavy weights from PDP to APC; such as former governor of old Anambra state, Senator Jim Nwobodo; former governor of the state, Sullivan Chime; former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; former Speaker of the State Assembly, Eugene Odoh, former military administrator of Gombe State, Group Captain Joe Oji and wife of former national chairman of PDP, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, Dr Dorothy, among others.

The caucus meeting which was inaugurated recently and chaired by the state chairman of the party, Dr Nwoye, was attended by former governor of the State, Sullivan Chime; national Vice Chairman of APC South East, Emma Eneukwu; two transport moguls, Sam Onyishi (Peace Mass Transit Ltd) and Onyemuche Nnamani (Auto Star).

Others are Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu; Group Capt. Joe Oji (Rtd) Eugene Odoh, Emperor Baywood Ibe; Chief G.B. Onoh; Major General J. O. J Okolagu; Nigerian Ambassador to India, Major General Chris Eze, and others.