The Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Enugu State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Ben Nwoye, has said he has not anointed candidate/ candidates for the various position(s) in the forthcoming Congress of the party.
Ten persons have already indicated interest to succeed the outgoing chairman, Nwoye.
Nwoye advised the aspirants nursing the ambition of succeeding him as well as others wishing to occupy other positions to go on campaign and convince delegates at the wards level ahead of the congresses.
He said, “Ignore the rumour making the rounds that people have been anointed for the positions.”
Speaking at the State Secretariat of the party during an interaction between the Chairmanship Aspirants and the 260 ward chairmen, as well as members of the State Executive Committee (Exco), Nwoye said the various seats are not up for sale.
According to him, the party belongs to the people at the ward, who he described as the “true owners of the party”, and that anyone interested in holding any position must get their support.
Some of the Aspirants at the meeting included: the Chairman of Oji River Council Area of the State, Chief Benson Eze, Chairman of the State Contact and Mobilization Committee, Chief Comrade Adolphus Ude, Hon. Chief Ude Okorie John, former Local government Chairman of Udi LGA, Dr. Walter Oji, a medical Dr. Chiadikaobi Charles Chukwu, among others.
Addressing the party members, Nwoye advised them to discountenance claims that some people had already been selected ahead of the party’s elective congress, saying such rumour were unfounded and holds no water.
He said: “I am here to give you the true picture, sell of forms has not commenced, until we hear from our national chairman, either directly or indirectly through the national secretary, until we hear from any two of them, any other story is fake news.
Directing his speech to the Ward Chairmen, Nwoye said: “Also note that you have responsibility to organize your ward, no matter the story flying around, the party rests on your shoulders.
“Every ward chairman, you are the true leaders of this party. You are in charge of this party.
“Election is not conducted at the local government, election is not conducted at the Enugu Capital, election is not conducted in Abuja, election is at the ward and polling units.
” So, you are in charge, call yourself a leader, don’t allow anybody to fool you, it begins and ends with you.”
Nwoye asked the ward chairmen not to be intimidated with claims that “people’s names are being pencilled down for the party’s elective positions.
He said, “There is going to be an election, you will have the opportunity to elect your own party officers, from ward to local government, to state, from State to zone and from zone to the national level. Anyone parading any list, it is a fake list, all of them will be exposed.
“We will have a situation where true party men and women will be rewarded for the work they have done. We have people that will place the interest of the party above their personal interests, so we must all see ourselves as fighting one course, there is no enemy among us.”
Nwoye also stressed the need for members to always accord respect to some Stalwart of the party in the state in view of their status and contributions to the party.
He said, “We must show respect to people, either by their status, what they have been in life or by their contributions to the party, whether you like those people or not.
In their separate interviews with journalists, Comrade A.C Udeh, and Dr. Chukwu, stated that they have all it takes to take over from Nwoye, if given the mandate.
