Some stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State on Wednesday boycotted the presidential campaign rally held in the state capital.
They were, however, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu to welcome the presidential candidate of the party Bola Tinubu to the state.
The stakeholders include former Senate President Ken Nnamani, former Governor Sullivan Chime Speaker Eugene Odo of the Enugu State House of Assembly and Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama.
Briefing journalists, Mr Chime said that the stakeholders were at the airport to receive the presidential candidate but did not appear at the rally because of the internal issue they had with the state party chairman Ugochukwu Agballah.
He recalled that the stakeholders had staged a peaceful protest at the APC national secretariat in Abuja over the chairman’s attitude and regretted that nothing was done about it.
The former governor said that someone not known by the party emerged as chairman and since then, the party had been in disarray.
He also complained that the governorship candidate of the party and the deputy were from the same senatorial zone, noting that it had never happened since the history of democracy.
The former governor said they would all work hard to ensure APC’s victory during the general election but they were left with no option but to distance themselves.
Senator Nnamani, while pointing out his anger, said the party had external interference.
He said that the party chairman in the state and the governorship candidate were running the party like sole administrators.
Nnamani said that the duo neglected their leaders in all the party’s activities pointing out that the calibre of people they had in APC were people that could take the party to a greater height.
He, however, said that if the mess did not stop, there would be no peace in the state.
Also contributing, Mr Odo said that the rally was not attended by the party leaders in the state due to the chairman’s attitude towards the stakeholders.
Odo explained that Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, as the leader of the party in South East, should ensure the unity of the party instead of using mediocrity to run the party.
He, therefore, said that the stakeholders in the state had decided to distance themselves.
