THE Enugu State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has faulted the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, and others, calling for the resignation of the National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, over the crisis trailing the last party’s primaries.
Addressing a press conference in Enugu on Thursday, the State Chairman of APC Dr Ben Nwoye, insisted that the primaries conducted by his party in Enugu were free, fair and credible, wondering why Oshiomhole critics should go so extreme to castigate him, invariably pulling down the house they have helped to build.
Dr Nwoye appealed to Okechukwu and other aggrieved members of the party to use the opportunity provided by the reconciliation committee set up by the party in the state to restore peace, stressing that the VON Boss is a respectable party leader and a founding member of the party in the state.
“While we respect Okechukwu’s opinion, he is not entitled to his facts. Oshiomhole is a God’s sent to APC and he has been building bridges where Oyegun left”, he noted.
According to him, “Oshiomhole took over a few months ago but he has won elections. Enugu State APC still endorses the leadership of Oshiomhole. We have been begging Osita Okechukwu to come back but he has gone on air to make unguarded utterances inimical to our party. This action is unexpected of a leader.”
Nwoye further noted, “The primaries conducted in Enugu State were credible. In every election, people contest to win but so many factors determine who wins. You cannot destroy the house you built because you lost. Some of us who lost, for anger, they are leaving to unknown parties. For instance, there is no mathematics that will arise for an All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) senatorial candidate to win in Enugu State because the party is not in existence in the state”, he said.
On the controversy following the governorship primary in the State, Dr Nwoye recalled, “We have held elections before now and before Ayogu Eze joined the party, Ifeanyi Nwoga was making waves. He was a front-runner until Ben Eche, Ogara, Akabue. And Senator Ayogu Eze was the last to join and he won the ticket”.
The APC State Chairman, however, noted that the peace committee led by the former governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, is making progress, adding that many of the aggrieved members are gradually having a rethink of not abandoning the party.