Enugu APC chieftains, chairman disagree over inauguration of ward excos

By Damian Duruiheoma, Enugu

Some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State have faulted last week’s inauguration of ward executives by the state Caretaker Chairman of the party, Dr. Ben Nwoye.

They said Nwoye acted beyond his powers with the inauguration of the ward executives of the party when the results of the congress were yet to be submitted to the party national leadership by the congress committee.

But the chairman insisted that the persons he inaugurated in the 260 wards were duly elected by party members and that he acted within his statutory powers.

Nwoye had last Tuesday at the party’s state secretariat, inaugurated the 260 ward executives said to have been elected penultimate Saturday during the congress of the party at the ward level in the state.

He told them that “the leadership of the party gave us the go-ahead to conduct the congress and there is nothing in our constitution that prohibits me from inaugurating you.”

Nwoye also accused some leaders of the party of attempting to truncate the process.

But the party chieftains like the former governorship aspirants – Tagbo Ogara, Ben Eche and Ginika Tor as well other party leaders like Ejike Njeze, who addressed reporters in Enugu, said the chairman’s action was ‘ultra vires’ because, according to them, he did not have the approval of the national secretariat of the party.

Speaking on behalf of the former aspirants and other stakeholders, Chief Ben Eche described the action as unlawful, illegal and deserving of heavy sanctions from the party leadership.

Eche noted that the congress was peaceful and violence free, with the congress committee collating the results with a view to submitting same to the national leadership of the party for ratification.

He said: “What Nwoye has done is not party process. The party process is well defined. The election result is announced at the wards. You know the elected people.

“The party guidelines say that seven days after the congress, you bring in your matter for those that have grievances.

“The election took place on July 31, but Nwoye inaugurated on August 3 in clear breach of the party guidelines. The result has not been released and the national body has not even endorsed the results. So, where does Nwoye get his grievances from, how much more inauguration? He has not even exhausted any internal mechanism of the party and he rushed to inaugurate.

“The illegality is such that the party is supposed to have 27-member executives, but what Nwoye inaugurated was five-member executives from each ward.

“As far as we are concerned, the party caretaker chairman has acted ultra vires. He acted beyond his powers. It is not in his powers to do what he has done. It is illegal and it’s condemnable.

“We are therefore warning him to desist from the actions that are capable of plunging the party into another round of crisis. The party leadership should equally discipline him for such action.”