By Our Correspondent
The leadership crisis rocking the Enugu State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC took a new dimension at the weekend as a faction of the party announced the suspension of the Deputy Chairman, Mr. Adolphus Udeh.
It would be recalled that another faction loyal to the Deputy Chairman, Mr. Udeh had last week announced the suspension of the state Chairman, Dr. Ben Nwonye and Adolphus Udeh as acting Chairman.
At a press conference in Abuja, some group of the party led by Hon. Ejike Njeze had described as embarrassing the purported suspension of Mr. Adolphus Udeh by Dr. Ben Nwonye whom they accused of embezzlement, anti party activities and high handedness.
However in a twist of event, the caucus of the party in Enugu state was said to have endorsed the suspension of the State Deputy Chairman, Adolphus Udeh, over the same offence of alleged anti-party activities.
Rising from their meeting at Nike-Lake, Enugu on Friday night, the Chairman of the party’s Reconciliatory Committee, Group Captain Joe Orji (Rtd) told journalists that they condemned in strong terms the invasion of the party’s office by the suspended Deputy Chairman and his group last Monday, July 3, 2017.
The APC leaders who had their meeting behind closed doors for several hours, also reaffirmed Dr Ben Nwonye as the state Chairman of the party, adding that they had directed that the Deputy State Chairman and other suspended party members involved in the crisis be invited to their next meeting.
“We recognized that Dr Ben Nwonye remains the State Chairman of the party. There is room for fair hearing and that is why there is a directive that State Deputy Chairman and the other suspended party members involved are invited to the next meeting of the caucus. We are not unmindful of the local government election coming up but there is need for discipline in our party. That is part of the change we want”, he added.
It would be recalled that last Tuesday, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Justice Reforms, Mrs Juliet Ibekaku, was suspended along with 19 others over alleged anti-party activities.
The State Chairman Dr Nwonye said in a statement in Enugu that Mrs Ibekaku was suspended alongside 19 others over alleged misconduct and violation of the party’s constitution.
It read thus: “Notice of Indefinite Suspension for Violation of Article 21 (A) (v) of our Party Constitution.”
“APC national secretariat has been notified of their suspension. The affected individuals have 7 days from the date of this Notice to appeal their case.
“The affected persons are barred from attending any function organized or sponsored by the All Progressives Congress. Any member of the public dealing with them as members’ of APC does so at their risk.”
Others suspended members were: Adolphus Udeh, (Deputy Chairman), Lolo Queen Ngozi Nwankwo (Woman Leader), Mr Ikechukwu Oloto, (Youth Leader), Mr Louis Okolo, (Assistant Secretary), Mr Sydney Eze (Former Financial Secretary) Mr Ebere Okolo (Former Treasurer), among others.
Effort to reach Mr. Adolphus Udeh on his mobile phone line was not successful as the time of going to press.
