ABUJA — The immediate past Chairman of the All Progressive Congress {APC} in Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye abruptly blew up calls by the party leaders on Wednesday to contest for the governorship primaries ahead of the 2023 general elections, declaring that he could not join the race under a situation where a preferred gubernatorial candidate has been pre-approved by a power block that produced the present Enugu State Executive Committee through undemocratic processes.
The tempestuous clash between Nwoye and the Enugu State Executive suggested that efforts to forge the party together on issues — already a short while before the primaries and main election — may adversarial affect the foreseeable future of the party, while Nwoye and his opponents wage war over the various crises rocking the party now and many more underway after the elections..
Nwoye, in a statement he personally signed and made available to journalists in Abuja – Nigeria, expressed his sincere thanks to all those who donated money to advance his political ambition, assuring them that he has commenced the process of refunding all donations to the respective donors.
He recalled that two months ago, he was asked by some journalists whether he was running for the position of Governor of Enugu State for 2023 and he responded he still consulting.
“In the course of my consultation I met with party men and women and informed them of my intention to serve the people of Enugu State at the highest office of the land by running for the position of Governor come 2023.
“They were excited at the news. Many of them started forming political action groups to mobilize necessary support for me to achieve my ambition.
“I disclosed to them my dream for a New Enugu State. I informed that that I have the blue print to move Enugu State forward,” he explained, adding, “I disclosed my plan for sustaining and improving the peace we enjoy in Enugu State. But more importantly, I shared with them my ideas on how to add prosperity to the lives of every Enugu citizen. As it is my sincere belief that peace without prosperity is not sustainable in a 21st Century economy.
“I met with students who were forced back home as a result of ASUU strike. Some of the students have already spent 7 years in the University for a 5-year course due to no fault of their own.
“I talked to them about my idea of a New Enugu where we can inject direct State intervention to all tertiary institutions in the State to prevent the frequency of strikes in State owned universities and polytechnics in Enugu State.
“I met with some bright and vibrant youths of Enugu State who were romancing with separatist ideation because they felt that the Nigerian State has failed them.
“These are youths who felt that they have received the short end of the stick. Their grievances ranged from unemployment to what they perceived as unlawful detention and persecution of the Leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra,” he said.
Nwoye equally noted that despite the unprecedented hike in the participatory fees, he was urged to run by some ESUT students who donated N63,000 to assist him for the Nomination form, adding that he received N50,000 from a widow who is a retired civil servant for the same purpose; 5,000 naira from a young entrepreneur who has never met him but believed that together they could embark on the journey of creating a peaceful and prosperous Enugu State.
Continuing, he said, “I received donations from my friends in the United States who want to me to join the race so that they can come home and help me build a New Enugu State. My friends in Port Harcourt, Lagos, Abuja, Maiduguri, Kano and Warri organized wonderful fundraising programs for me. In all together, they raised enough money to purchase Nomination Form me to run for Governor of Enugu State.”
But, the former APC boss said though he was deeply indebted to all those who made enormous financial sacrifices for him to join the race for the gubernatorial primary under the platform of APC, he will not join the race on the allegation that the present Executive members of the party in Enugu State from Ward to State level are not product of democratic process.
The Federal Commissioner representing South East zone in the Federal Consumer Competition Protection Commission FCCPC said “I will not join the race under a situation where the present Executive members of the party in Enugu State from Ward to State level are not product of democratic process.
“I will not join the race under a situation where a preferred gubernatorial candidate has been pre-approved by a power block that produced the present Enugu State Executive Committee through undemocratic processes.
“I will not join the race in a party where the names of 5-person Ad-hoc State Delegates have already been compiled by a State party chairman who gained his position through fraudulent and undemocratic method.
“I will not join the race to seek for the Gubernatorial ticket of a party where the founding fathers, founding mothers, founding sons and daughters were evicted from the political home they constructed without just cause.
“Finally, I will not join the race to contest for a ticket in a party where the youths are told that they are not “too young to run” but they are made too poor to run.” He posited.
He, however, pledged to devote his time to assist in the election of credible electoral processes come 2023, assuring that he will join hands with his supporters to elect credible candidates no matter the political platforms they come from.
Discussion about this post