The Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Enugu East, Princess Ada Ogbu has blamed the current crisis rocking the party on some of the stakeholders.
Ogbu, who spoke to journalists in Enugu on Sunday, said the party chieftains who visited the national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu were actually the ones manufacturing a non-existent crisis in the party.
According to reports, party chieftains, led by a former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani were in Abuja last week where they demanded the removal of the State Chairman, Barr. Ugochukwu Agballah.
But Ogbu, a chieftain of the party, came hard on them, declaring that they were on a fruitless voyage.
“Enugu State APC has been in the news for the wrong reasons, but I don’t think it is a crisis. A lot of people classify what is happening now as a crisis but I really don’t think there is one.
“Some people are trying very hard to manufacture a crisis which does not exist. Enugu State APC since our congress last year has been very strong, very focused, has been working very hard to make sure that it wins all the elective positions in Enugu State and they have gone a long way. Compare Enugu State APC now to Enugu APC of a few years ago, there is no comparison. So, some people are just trying very hard to manufacture a crisis.
“The only issue Osita Okechukwu said he has with the State chairman of the party is that he is dictatorial, but that is not enough reason to remove the chairman of a party six months to the election, unless you are actually trying to manufacture a crisis.
“The fact that he is doing this six months to the election means he is trying to manufacture a crisis. What are the impeachable offenses the chairman can commit- anti-party activities, embezzlement; he did not accuse Ugo Agballah of anti-party activity or embezzlement, so what is his reason, just dictatorial, so it seems to me that these people have self-sense of importance in the scheme of things.”
Asked whether the development would not affect her chances in the election, as well as that of other APC candidates in the election, she replied: “I will say they have one vote, thanks to Mr. President for signing the amended electoral act; somebody who refuses to be reconciled for whatever reason, with the party leadership, I cannot help him or her, some people are irreconcilable; even in divorce case, there is what is called irreconcilable differences, there is really not much anyone can do about it, you move on and appeal to the voters directly.”
She equally played down the request for Agballah’s removal.
“I am not worried about the petition because I know it holds no water whatsoever, there are rules, systems to these things. There are processes to remove a party chairman and anyone who goes ahead to attempt to remove a State party chairman six months to election does not mean well for that party, does not mean well for the candidates.
“What these people are doing is to make sure that the opposition is killed. You don;’t impeach someone because of being dictatorial.
“I repeat, this crisis is being stage-managed from somewhere. But I have words for these people, whoever you are, wherever you are coming from, and you actually have a hand or you are sponsoring the so-called manufactured crisis in the Enugu State APC, you just lost your investment, because it will not work.
“We are not going to be deterred in any way, we are going to campaign vigorously, talk to the voters directly, and offer them an alternative.
“I will tell the National Chairman to ignore people who are trying to manufacture a crisis in Enugu State APC, there is no crisis. We are going to shame the naysayers,” she declared.