By NewsBits
A former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Barr Eugene Odo has lashed out at the State Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Ugochukwu Agballah over comments he made during a recent campaign tour of Opi, in Nsukka LGA.
The party Chairman reportedly maligned Nsukka APC leaders including the former Speaker. Agballah accused the APC leaders in the zone of working against the party; “that they are working for the PDP…that they are agents of PDP in APC…’
But the former Speaker, Odoh has fired back at Agballah, insisting that: “Before Ugo Agballah came in, the party was booming; almost everybody in the party was struggling for membership, of course the membership was very robust with high quality people.
“Each time we want to have meeting at Nzastreet you see the likes of Ken Nnamani, Gbazuagu, Sullivan, IK Ugwuegde, Ayogu Eze, almost every stakeholder in APC. And we decided to share positions. That these positions will make every part of the state to get a sense of belonging in what is acruable to the party.
“We zoned the Governoship position to Enugu East senatorial zone, we zoned secretary of the party to Enugu East Zone. For Enugu West we zoned the Chairmanship of the party and then Speaker of the House of Assembly, if we win election.
“In Enugu North, we zoned whatever national office of the party that will be coming to the state to Enugu North Senatorial zone which is Nsukka. We also zoned the Deputy Governorship candidate to Enugu North.
“But since Ugo Agballah came in, it’s quite unfortunate that he couldn’t harness what he met on the ground. He has been there raining abuses on the party people, he has been raining abuses even to members of his executive.
“Of course, you would have seen how he has been insulting Ken Nnamani, Sullivan Chime and anybody he cares to insult. So we feel that as party people we should tag on until we realized there is no seriousness in what he is doing as party Chairman.
“As I speak to you the National office that was zoned to Nsukka, when it eventually came, it was given to Emma Enukwu who is from Enugu West senatorial zone. Not just Enugu West but the same Local Government with Ugo Agballah. Also, the Deputy Governoship candidate zoned to Enugu North, as I speak to you, the state secretary remains in INEC as the deputy governor.
“So, I was wondering the kind of conscience and shamelessness that will drag Ugo Agballa to any part of Nsukka zone to campaign. Are you campaigning to people whose position you have jettisoned? Are you campaigning to them as fools? Or are you campaining to them as people who have no sense of history?
“The way he has carried on is with impunity. You met Ken Nnamani in the party you are not working with him; you met Sullivan Chime in the party you are not working with him; you met Onyemuche Nnamani, Gen Ugwu who is ambassador in Poland, Ben Nwoye, Gbazuagu Nweke Gbazuagu, Ben Eche, Timothy Ama, Val Nnaedozie, Joe Mammel, the Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, Osita Okechuukwu, Juliet Ibekaku, Eugene Odo, Ayogu Eze, you met all these people in the party, you are not working with them.
“And he cannot mention one person he is working with. You are parading a Deputy Governorship candidate who you are more or less deceiving. What kind of Chairman will run an election where the governor and deputy will come from the same senatorial zone as it’s presently in INEC.
“What kind of Chairman will run an election where there is no manifesto for the Governorship candidate up till today. What kind of Chairman will superintendent over an election with no single campaign Council. You have a DG who is from the same Constituency with the governor. There is no single Campaign Council perhaps the DG is the sole administrator.
“And in all that we felt we can select people who are serious and support, certainly not people who are not serious and allowed Ugochukwu Agballah with his malfeasance.
“He, with his cohorts superintended the denial of Enugu North their rightful position that was written, signed under agreement. As if it wasn’t enough, he had the temerity to come to the same Enugu North to insult the leaders, just because they left you.
“We understand that he is relatively a ‘mad’ person, but this madness has been taken a little too far and needs to be cautioned. It’s unfortunate that in his senses he should be coming to Enugu North to campaign.
“We understand that he is not cordinated in reasoning, but he should not take the madness too far. He has ridiculed the party. Have you ever seen a party Chairman who has taken the place of a Director General?
“And even if you go for campaign, you can never say anything about PDP, you can never say anything about Labour Party, you are there maligning leaders who were there before you.
“Is he the only frustrated person?
“Having left office since 1999 and he had opportunity of being a chairman, it would have been an avenue to redeem his image which is battered. He has never won any election. Not even Councillorship position. Frlom where is the experience of even engineering an election come from?”
