Dr Ben Nwoye, the Enugu State Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), has been re-elected for a second term in office.
Nwoye was re-elected by about 2,000 accredited delegates from the 17 Local Government Areas of the state on Sunday at the concluding part of the state congress of the party, held inside the Indoor Sports Hall of Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
The exercise had earlier commenced on Saturday, but midway, suspected political thugs stormed the venue and chased everybody away.
The congress was however reconvened on Sunday morning as directed by the APC National Secretariat to conclude the exercise.
Under the watchful eyes of the five-man congress committee led by Pastor Charles Brown, INEC and relevant security agencies, Nwoye, the State Secretary, Robert Eze; Publicity Secretary, Mrs Kate Ofor and other members of the executive were returned unopposed for a second term.
After the congress, elated party faithful carried Nwoye shoulder high and chanting songs of victory from the venue (stadium) to the party state secretariat on Abakaliki Road Enugu, where a victory party was held.
Party bigwigs in attendance included the National Vice Chairman APC, South East, Chief Emma Eneukwu, the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Chief Osita Okechukwu, Group Capt. Joe Orji (rtd) and Emperor Baywood Ibe amongst others.
Speaking at the secretariat, the DG of VON, Okechukwu, commended the party faithful for their commitment, dedication and faith in the party.
Okechukwu assured that the APC government of President Muhammadu Buhari would fulfill all its promises to the people of the South-East.
He also assured Ndigbo that if they vote for Buhari in 2019 an Igbo-man would become the President of Nigeria in 2023.
“When we work hard and support the party, we will get where we are going.
“If you support Buhari, the next President will be an Igbo-man. Since 1999, we came back to third republic, the elite at the national level decided rotation of power on North/South basis. They made sure the two presidential candidates came from the South.
“We voted for Obasanjo in 1999 and 2003. When it came to the turn of South-South, we voted for Jonathan in 2011. Power now returned to the North in 2015.
“As it stands now, President Buhari is the only person in the North who is now left with one term in the presidency. If we vote for him, Igbos will get presidency in 2023,’’ Okechukwu said.
Earlier, Eneukwu said that those who participated in the congress were not rented crowd or mercenaries but loyal party men and women.
According to him, it is written that Ben Nwoye will be the chairman of the party.
“I am not among those that will build a house and bring a mad man to occupy it.
“As we have trekked from the stadium to this place (party secretariat), let us with the same strength to return APC, return Buhari and return an APC governor in this state in 2019,’’ Eneukwu said.
It would be recalled that on Saturday, when the thugs invaded and chased away APC five-man congress committee for the state, INEC officials and party bigwigs, a faction of the party allegedly conducted a congress election in the same venue. (NAN)
