A former governorship candidate in Enugu State, Barr Ugochukwu Agballah; Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Ethiopia, Fidel Ayogu and former Military Administrator of Gombe State, Group Capt Joe Orji (rtd) have joined the race for the chairmanship of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State.
Also in the race is Mr. Adolphus Udeh, former deputy chairman of the APC in Enugu state, and also a grassroots politician.
But Agballah’s venture into the race seems to have taken political watchers in the state by surprise as his possible emergence would change the political dynamics in the state ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Agballah, who contested the 2003 and 2007 governorship elections, made great impressions and inroads, to the amazement of the state’s political class.
Agballah who left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the APC about two months ago, said that he had extensive political contacts having been a former campaign manager of two former governors of Enugu State – Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo and Sen Chimaroke Nnamani – and such contacts he would bring to bear.
His co-contestants are however no political neophytes; as Fidel Ayogu aside from being a former ambassador was a former minority leader of the then ANPP in the National Assembly, former guber candidate of ANPP, former local government chairman (Igboze North), former commissioner and former state chairman of defunct UNCP among other positions he held in the past.
Group Capt Orji (rtd) on his part, aside from being a former military governor, was a former guber aspirant and former senatorial aspirant among others.
Adolphus Udeh has been around the politics of the state since 1999, and has passed through the political tutelage of the likes of Chief Dubem Onyia, former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and former member of the House of Representatives.
As a critical step towards clinching victory in the October 16 state congress, Agballah has begun the process of oiling his old political structure.
Agballah, considered by many as a grassroots politician and tactician recently convened a state-wide meeting of his old political structure in Enugu, which saw a cross section of politicians and non politicians across the state in attendance.
Former lawmakers, former members of the state executive council, businessmen, professionals of different hue, market men and women, and artisans, attended the meeting.
Addressing the gathering, Agballah told them that time had come once again for them to join the APC in the state and turn it into a winning party.
“We will turn APC into a winning party in Enugu State. It’s time for APC to take over the government of Enugu State. We are not pretentious about our mission and vision to take leadership.
“The job of reorganizing and repositioning APC in Enugu State requires energetic, vibrant, upwardly mobile and visionary young leader with extensive political structure and contacts.
“The Bible according to the book of Ecclesiastics says that there is time and season for everything. This is our time and this is our season,” he said.
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