Former APC Chairman in Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye
By Tony Adibe
Former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye, has advised the new National Chairman of the party, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, to remove the state chairman of the party, Barr Ugochukwu Agballah, from office.
Dr. Nwoye said that it was sad and unfortunate that, despite a valid court order, Agballah had refused to vacate office. Nwoye, who addressed newsmen on Thursday in Enugu, blamed APC’s former National Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, for not taking adequate action on Agballah’s leadership.
He argued that removing Agballah was the legally correct thing to do, in line with a subsisting court judgment.
NewsBits recalls that Justice C.V.C Ezugwu of the Enugu State High Court had on August 9th, 2024, issued an injunction restraining Agballa from parading himself as the Chairman of the APC in Enugu state. Also included in the restraining order in a Suit No: E/548/2024 were nine others. They were also barred by the court from parading themselves as party officials in the state.
The court injunction was granted in response to a suit filed by Nwafor Onyeachonam, Acting State Chairman of the party in Enugu State, and other party executives who sought to prevent Agballah and others from claiming leadership positions within the party. Nwoye recounted that Agballa, since the assumption of office, regrettably, had been operating contrary to the dictates of the APC constitution.
According to him, members of the State Working Committee, SWC, who removed Agballa from office, had already gone to Abuja to submit a petition to the National Chairman, drawing his attention to the Court Order that sacked Agballa, and the danger of not obeying the order.
Nwoye, who is also leader of the Progressives, a political pressure group in Enugu State, said: “So, we are calling on the national Chairman of our great party, Professor Yilwatda to respect the law and look into the case of APC Enugu, which was earlier swept under the carpet by the former National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje with a view to restoring Mr. Alphonsus Okafor as the Acting State Chairman of APC.”
He made it categorically clear that since a court of competent jurisdiction had barred Chief Agballah from parading himself as the state Chairman of the party, he had no business remaining in office for over one year after the pronouncement was made.
Nwoye, however, expressed optimism and confidence in the new National Chairman. He stressed that if the impunity and anomaly going on in Enugu APC was not addressed by obedience to the court order, it would be counterproductive and have a consequential effect on the party in the 2027 general elections.
He pleaded with the leaders of the South East APC, including the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, the Deputy National Chairman of the Party South, Chief Emma Enukwu and the South East National Vice Chairman of the party, Dr. Ijoma Arodiogbu to obey the dictates of the party’s constitution which provides that Dr. Alphonsus Okafor is the Acting Chairman of the Party.
Nwoye, who a few months back resigned his membership of APC, however, said he returned to the party because of his strong belief in the party’s new leadership and ideology. He appealed to members to always respect President Bola Tinubu and do the right thing in their respective spaces.
The former National Commissioner recounted how a former National Chairman of the party, Senator Adams Oshomhole, was sacked from office by his political ward in Edo State. He recalled that once that happened, Oshimhole left quietly. But Nwoye wondered why an ordinary state Chairman as Agballa, would defy a court order that asked him to leave office.
Nwoye further outlined the likely implications of the Enugu State APC disobeying a valid court order. He said: “Not obeying an order of a court of competent jurisdiction amounts to bringing the president and his government to disrepute.
“Ugocukwu Agballa, for the past one year plus, has been removed from office, yet he has been going about parading himself. Members of the State working Committee (SWC) who removed Agballa have gone to the National Chairman to submit their petition, attached to it a certified Court order. These are injunctive relief barring him from acting or carrying out any function.
“Yes, they have appealed the court verdict, but appealing without a stay of execution does make it a nullity. If they needed Agballa to continue in office, they should go back to the same court that issued the injunction and request a stay of the court order.”
