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| Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama |
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu also emerged national delegate in a separate congress in the same local government area.
Onyeama, who described the exercise as `transparent and democracy in action’, said that the parallel congresses became
inevitable due to a deliberate plan to disenfranchise a significant number of party faithful in the state.
“We even saw one of the candidates concede to the other. This is what we want to see in the country and I am very proud of the party faithful in Udi Local Government Area.
“This is a parallel congress and we have quite a lot to sort out. We have done everything possible to merge the two groups and ensure an excellent democratic process,” he said.
The minister blamed the state chairman of the party as well as the congress committee for the problems encountered in the state.
“The chairman of the congress committee for Enugu State claimed that the party national chairman said he should only meet and work with the state chairman who is also competing.
“So you can imagine a situation where the person who is interested in being elected is the one to carry out the election.
“The state chairman now keeps all the forms for himself and those he favours and completely excludes everybody else.
“We cannot allow that to happen and that was why we went on with the parallel congress,” he said.
Meanwhile, the other congress held at the party secretariat at 9th Mile Corner also in Udi returned Okechukwu as the national delegate from the local government area.
Okechukwu said that the APC was poised to consolidate on its achievements in the past few years.
He said that the Federal Government was ready to give the South East a good deal, adding that efforts were on to tap the coal deposits in Enugu.
Okechukwu also said that the Federal Government had awarded a good number of roads in the zone and was still ready to award more of such contracts.
When contacted, the Chairman of the party in the state, Mr Ben Nwoye denied knowledge of any parallel congress in the state.
Nwoye said that the insinuation that the APC was divided in the state was wrong adding that no parallel congress held.
“Ask the person who told you that we had parallel congresses to show you a copy of his payment receipt for his nomination form.
“Ask him who conducted the congress for him. Ask him whether INEC and DSS observed his congress,” Nwoye said.
In a remark, Chief Emma Eneukwu, the National Vice Chairman of APC for South-East, lauded the conduct of the congress in Udi council area stressing that the exercise was “free, fair, transparent and credible’’.
Eneukwu described all those who attended the congress as very committed and trusted party men, pointing out that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and the media were fully represented.
The congress in the council was attended by party bigwigs from the council, which included the state Acting Women Leader, Mrs. Oby Nwofor.
Members of the Udi local government executive of the party were also elected during the congress.
They include Mr Jude Anyadibe as Chairman; Mr Pascal Ojielo as the Deputy Chairman; Mr Felix Okafor as Secretary; Mrs Mabel Owoh as Women Leader; Sylvester Onyia as the Treasurer among others.
NAN further reports that the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Judicial Reform, Mrs Juliet Ibekaku also emerged a national delegate representing the women in the congress that returned the minister. (NAN)
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