The All Progressives Congress (APC) Enugu State has declared that it will block the state Gov, Dr Peter Mbah from decamping to the party.
The party took the stand amid the defection of no less than 150 members of the Labour Party, LP, and the Peoples Democratic Party PDP.
Speaking while receiving the defectors, during the expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party, weekend, at the party Secretariat in Enugu, the state chairman of APC, Chief Ugochukwu Agballah, vowed that the APC would defeat the PDP government under Mbah in 2027.
APC accused the PDP government of failure to prioritize the security of lives and property of the people, alleging that killer herdsmen have turned Uzo-Uwani LGA, Isi-uzo LGA and other parts of the state into a killing fields as they rape, kill and destroy several communities without let or hindrance.
Among the decampees to APC were: former Commissioner for Local Government Affairs in Enugu State, Barr Peter Okonkwo, who joined from PDP; Hon Nonso Ochi, LP House of Assembly candidate for Awgu North Constituency in the 2023 election; Hon Onyeka Chukwuedo, PDP House of Assembly aspirant, Awgu South Constituency in the 2023 election; Chief John Edeh, PDP House of Rep Aspirant from Nkanu West LGA; and Chief Tony Chigbo, former Chairman of Uzo-Uwani LGA and former Member of Enugu State House of Assembly under PDP, among others.
Reading a communique at the end of the meeting, the APC State chairman, Agballah, said the party would no longer tolerate indiscipline, warning that anyone caught indulging in anti-party politics would be suspended.
He attributed the failure of APC to win political positions in Enugu State to activities of those he described as paid moles, adding that efforts are on the top gear to weed out the moles.
While hinting APC was fully committed to takeover the Lion Building (Enugu’s Government House) in 2027, Agballah disclosed that the party has a competent and capable candidate to take over from Governor Peter Mbah, who he noted has mis-governed the state.
“The meeting welcomes new members who joined our party and assure them of equal treatment with other members.
“The leaders note with excitement that our party has witnessed significant growth with an influx of new members in the last one year.
“The number of new decampees that we received today is evidence of such influx across the local government areas and wards,” he said.
Agballah decried rising kidnapping and killing in Isi-uzo and Uzo-Uwani Local Government Areas in the state in recent time, especially along the Ugwogo-Nike-Opi-Nsukka road.
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“The leaders condemned the apparent inaction of the state government and its strenuous efforts to suppress the news of the killings.
“The party declared that the Peter Mbah-led government has failed in its primary duty of protecting lives and property of citizens of Enugu state.
“They wondered why the state prefers to engage in the deceit of showcasing what they call Command and Control Center that could not resolve security breaches beyond 10 kilometers radius from the capital city.
“The huge population of the citizens in the rural areas are left at the mercy of killer herdsmen and other criminals.
“The stakeholders endorsed the suspension of Senator Chukwuka Utazi and mandated the State Executive Committee to ratify the suspension in her next meeting and forward the same to the Zonal leadership of the party,” Agballah said.
One of the decampees, Mr. Peter Okonkwo, promised to collapse the PDP structures in Nsukka zone in the forthcoming election, adding that he would make APC popular in the zone.
