ENUGU/Nigeria: A group of the All Progressives Congress (APC), known as Concerned Enugu APC Stakeholders, has distanced the former Vice President and Presidential Aspirants in the 2015 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from the crises presently rocking the party in the state.
The group in a press release, reacting to a previous publication by some media houses, including Ndokwa Reporters, relating the crises in the state chapter of the party to 2019 presidential ambition of the former vice president.
The release which was signed by Mr Bennett Nnabike Chairman, and Ezekiel Mmadu the secretary of the group affirmed that the crises in the party is due to the financial mismanagement of funds by the state chairman, Mr Ben Nwoye.
The group said that there was no time Atiku inaugurated any committee to drive his campaign in Enugu, and as such he cannot be the cause of the internal problem in the state.
“We find it absurd to link H.E Atiku Abubakar’s ambition to the crisis unsettling the APC in Enugu.”
“We restate here that the crisis in the Enugu chapter of our Party has to do with alleged financial misappropriation by the Chairman, Ben Nwoye, and his cohorts”.
The statement stated that Well-meaning members of the Party in the state have filed several petitions to the National Leadership of our great Party and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) calling for the investigation of the allegations of financial impropriety brought against the Chairman.
“While, we await timely response to the petitions filed, we join voices with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, who is the highest ranking member of our Party in the state, to plead for peace and also call for dialogue among key stakeholders”.
They called for due processes to be followed in the running of the party in the state.
“We also maintain our position that due process, transparency, accountability and fair-hearing as enunciated by the APC constitution be adhered to in handling Party affairs”.
They went further to denounce the linking of the former Vice President to the crises in the state APC.
“Finally, we emphatically state that linking the crisis in the Enugu chapter of the Party to H.E Atiku Abubakar’s Presidential bid is an effort to cause confusion and disaffection in the Party in the State”.
