The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Enugu State Chapter has debunked the claim made by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the party sponsored the protest embarked on by aggrieved members of the APC over the involvement of the Chairman of the party, Ugochukwu Agballah, and the governorship candidate, Uche Nnaji in the N1.3bn fraud.

Addressing a press conference in Enugu on Tuesday, Nana Ogbodo, Director of Communications and Spokesman of the PDP Campaign Council wondered how the party can sponsor such a protest led by leaders of APC.

Sponsored Add

PDP’s reaction followed Agballah’s claim that the protesters were sponsored by PDP in the state.

It would be recalled that the protesters who stormed APC national secretariat in Abuja on Monday alleged that the Chairman of the party, Agballah and the governorship candidate, Uche Nnaji, were involved in the N1.3bn fraud in the state.

Sponsored Add

The Leader of the protesters and Chairman, Concerned Members of Enugu State APC, Adolphus Ude, who doubles as Chairman, Mainstream Enugu APC and pioneer Deputy Chairman, APC, Enugu State, told newsmen that they were at the secretariat to vent their anger over the matter and asked the party’s national leadership to wade in.

Ogbodo said “we have, as usual been dragged into a purely APC affair by the loquacious Ugcohukwu Agballah, who has claimed that the protesters were sponsored by the PDP. Of course, Agballah’s penchant for looking for scapegoats rather than face his demons is legendary.

Sponsored Add

“Ordinarily, the Enugu State PDP should have no business with the self-confessed fraud, embezzlement and impunity going on in the Enugu State chapter of the APC, except to say that they have further exposed to the world that they have no good intentions for Enugu State.
 
“Besides, the APC has never been a factor in elections in Enugu State, let alone now that all the key stakeholders of the APC in Enugu have abandoned the party to Ugochukwu Agballah and his godfathers.

He said “It is on record that even before yesterday’s protest by their aggrieved members, the cream de la creame of the APC in Enugu State had petitioned and physically led a protest to the National Chairman and leadership of the party in August 2022, raising about the same issues highlighted by the Concerned Enugu APC Members yesterday and called for Abgalla’s immediate removal from office and appointment of a caretaker chairman.
 
“Among the party leaders were the former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; former governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime; former Speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, Hon. Eugene Odoh; former state chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye; Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu; member of the Police Service Commission, Onyemuche Nnamani, Member of the Federal Character Commission among others

“In any case, some of the issues raised by the APC protesters are self-evident. For instance, we know as a fact that while George Ogara is paraded as the deputy governorship candidate and while his portrait adorns APC campaign posters and billboards, the name of Robert Ngwu is effectively in INEC records and website as the actual deputy governorship candidate of APC Enugu State. Is that not 419? Is that not fraudulent and obtaining by false pretences?
 
“We are also surprised that Ugochukwu Agballa is just coming out to deny that no dollars were given to APC national convention delegates through him and his governorship candidate; and that no funds were released to him for any nomination forms. But it is a fact that detailed reports on the funds so released have been trending online since November 2022.
 
“Needless to waste our time on an attention-seeking rabble rouser, who has turned himself to a clergy without congregation,” he said
 
Ogbodo thereby called on Chief Ugochukwu Agballah to go home and settle with his aggrieved party members and restitute to them whatever he has taken from them.

He said “This is not a fight between the PDP and the APC, it is squarely a fight between angry and deprived APC members and a greedy and conceited party leadership.
 
“It will be interesting to see Agballah go to court as he boasted. That is the civil thing to do. Probably his aggrieved party members will be able to provide details and showcase his nakedness to the world.
 
“In any case, if anybody deserves to be sued over this matter, it is Ugochukwu Agballah, who has defamed the Enugu PDP and its governorship candidate by dragging them into a matter that has absolutely nothing to do with them.

“We call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to step in to investigate the weighty allegations boldly made by well-known APC party leaders against the duo of Chief Ugo Agballah and Chief Uche Nnaji,” he said

INDEPENDENT