Some All Progressives Congress, (APC) stalwarts in Ebonyi State, weekend petitioned the National Caretaker/Convention Committee led by Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni over an alleged illegal leadership control and hijack of the Party’s administration by a faction in the State.
They explained that the development was an attempt to deceive, cover-up, and foist illegality at the party in Ebonyi State.
The group in the letter dated 19 October 2020, a copy of which was made available to Vanguard alleged that the Eze Nwachukwu-led State Executive Council of the party was operating under illegality having been voided by a court in April 2019 following a suit filed by the opposing faction led by Ben Nwobasi.
They noted that the battle for the soul of the APC in the State had existed for several years with the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, and the former Senator and now a member of the National Assembly Service Commission, Julius Ucha, leading the contending factions.
While Eze Nwachukwu was backed by the Minister, Onu, the Ben Nwobasi faction, was supported by Senator Ali Ucha.
According to them, the party’s leadership in the State was still revolving between the Nwobasi and Nwachukwu-led factions in the State.
The petitioners lamented that the battle within the party had left it very fragmented and open to manipulation by external forces, including opposition Political parties.
The petitioners prayed the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the Party to immediately set up a Caretaker committee for Ebonyi APC.
They also prayed that the planned party registration in the State be handled by the Caretaker committee while genuine peace meetings should be convened by the party inviting all the aggrieved factions in the State.
They further asked that those who flouted the presidential and NEC directive on withdrawal of court cases be disciplined accordingly.
The petition reads in part, “We are stakeholders and elders of the party in Ebonyi state who do not belong to any of the two contending camps but interested in restoring peace, order, and sanity in the party.
“The state of the party in Ebonyi state which moved us, as loyal and conscientious party stakeholders and elders neutral in the aforementioned battle, to try to save the soul of the party and steer it to safety and stability. That is the standpoint on which we are sending you this letter.
“In a desperate bid to cover up the truth and hoodwink the party to believe that all is well with the party, Eze called a meeting of some members of the party where he read prepared speeches that were adopted by those present.
“It was not a peace meeting as people in the contending factions were neither present, represented nor had their grievances heard or addressed. However, the meeting on its own was illegal as Eze’s executive had been sacked by a court of competent jurisdiction.”
 stalwarts in Ebonyi State, weekend petitioned the National Caretaker/Convention Committee led){kind=link}