Dr Ben Nwoye, speaking at the briefing
By Tony Adibe
A former chairman of Enugu State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Dr. Ben Nwoye, has resigned his membership of the party he reportedly nurtured to growth in 2013.
Dr Nwoye, who made this known during a press briefing on Thursday in Enugu, said, it was regrettable that every effort to gather the APC Broom logo has failed woefully, adding: “APC Broom has scattered.”
Bemoaning what observers regard as the party’s irredeemable situation in the state, Nwoye restated: “The bunch of “Broom” which we painstakingly tied together in 2013 at a time when we were called unprintable names has loosened and permanently scattered.”
NewsBits reports that despite his anger and feeling of disappointment over the current turn of events in the party, however, the erstwhile founding chairman of APC in the Coal City State did not mention names of those who contributed to the “scattering” of the Broom, the APC logo or symbol.
The ebullient Nwoye told reporters: “With deep sense of responsibility I write to inform you that I hereby resign as a member of All Progressives Congress. My resignation is as a result of disintegration of the leadership of party in Enugu State.” He didn’t disclose what he would do to his membership card, to further demonstrate his final departure from the party. Also, his next political move was kept to his chest, just off everyone’s view.
Nwoye emphasised that every effort made to “piece the party together failed flatly” and he had no option left than to resign and move on with his life. According to him, “All efforts made by the party elders to gather the “Broom’ and reassemble it have failed. In its current form, further attempts to reassemble the “Broom” in Enugu State is no longer practicable.
“What is left of the ‘Broom’ are two skeletal structures. One of each structure is held by two strong men. One of the strong men claims chairmanship by judicial pronouncement. While the other claims chairmanship through arrogant disobedience of the same judicial pronouncement, aided by the silent approval of the national leadership.”
The vocal and angry politician also criticised the Southeast Zonal leadership of the APC, accusing it of vindictiveness and losing direction. In the same manner, he descended heavily on the party’s national leadership, claiming that it maintained “wilful blindness” to the critical realities facing the party.
Dr Nwoye further bemoaned the current problematic state of the party, insisting: “The leadership of the party in South East are fully engaged in vindictive politics. “They are not interested in adding another state to the two states the party controls in the South East. As far as they are concerned, the supremacy of the party is measured by how low they can go to oppress their perceived political enemies. These they do, without recourse to the core principles upon which APC stands -Justice, Peace, and Unity. To say the least, the zonal leadership in the South East has lost direction.”
“In the meantime, the national leadership of the party is basking in the euphoria of power, being the party under which the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the majority of the members of the National Assembly were elected.
“The APC national leadership has therefore maintained wilful blindness. Hence, allowing the warring factions to self-destruct and strangulate the party in Enugu State. To worsen the situation, the APC national leadership treats Party Elders calls for reconciliation with disdain and disrespect.”
Nwoye also commented harshly on the party loyalists whom, he claimed, the situation of the party in Enugu State has turned into “prisoners of political war.” He said: “Loyal party members calling for party unity are treated like conquered and captured political warriors.”
“In other words, loyal party members who do not agree with the position of the APC national leadership on the division that exists within the entire party structure in Enugu State have been transformed into prisoners of political war. They have been placed in political captivity in Enugu State.”
He said that in light of the above conditions, he decided to resign his membership of the party after due consultations with his followers. Nwoye, while taking a more critical look at the age-long crises rocking the party in not only Enugu State, but also in Ebonyi, Abia, Anambra and Imo States, further said:
“The situation in Enugu State is not an isolated case. For example, in Anambra State the national leadership did not care to hear the voice of H.E. Senator Chris Ngige before awarding the gubernatorial ticket to the highest bidder. In Abia State, where are the likes of Dr Ikechi Emenike and Ayim Iyerenye? In Ebonyi State where is the voice of Senator Julius Ucha. And in Imo State where is H.E. Owelle Rochas Okorocha and Ugwumba Uche Nwosu. These are great men who risked it all and made tremendous sacrifices to ensure that the APC gained ground in the SouthEast. Today, their opinions no longer matter.”
The firebrand former Chairman said: “On the basis stated above, I engaged in extensive consultations with my grassroots followers, and I have come to the conclusion that it is time to move on. “I am not a political prisoner. I have never been, and I can never be.”
