The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State at the 2019 elections, Senator Ayogu Eze, has been suspended by his ward for anti-party activities.
At an emergency extra-ordinary meeting at the Umozzi Ward 7 party office today, Friday, 18 June, a cross-section of the members and principal officers of the party gathered under the leadership of the Chairman, Caretaker/extraordinary, Convention Planning Committee of the ward, Mr. Nwokedi Paul Ugwuoke to make the announcement.
In a letter addressed to the Chairman Caretaker/extraordinary, Convention Planning Committee, All Progressives Congress (APC) Enugu State Chapter, Dr. Ben Nwoye and copied to the National Secretary of the party, the members listed six incidents of gross anti-party activities against Senator Ayogu Eze:
They include allegedly working against the growth of the party in the ward, punishable under ARTICLE 21 of the party’s constitution; flouting the constitution and disobeying the lawful directives of the party by refusing to participate in the 2019 election without recourse to the party on the very day of the election on the pretence that his name was not on the ballot paper and that no money was extended to him from Abuja by the party; and sacking all the State Assembly Candidates by 12.00am on the eve of the election day.
Other offences include advising all members of the party in Igbo Eze North and other Local Government areas to boycott the election when the election materials were being shared in the polling booths in Enugu State and consequently contributing to the death of a loyal member of the party in the attendant crisis; canvassing that the PDP government led by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi must be supported by all the members of APC against the aims and objective of the party during the burial of his father-in-law in Township school (1) Ogrute, Enugu, Ezike in Igbo North Local government area; mishandling the distribution of the 1000 job empowerment slots by the Federal Government by giving all the ward forms to his mother who shared the forms to cronies and family members , thereby causing serious disunity amongst members of the party; failing to attend meetings and not acknowledging the Ward party structure or the elected ward chairman Mr. Nwokedi Paul Ugwoke.
The Secretary of the ward Mr. Jonathan Abugu, said the process of suspending Sen. Ayogu Eze followed due process as laid down in the constitution of party.
According to him, Sen. Eze had shunned invitation to several investigative panels set up by the ward to give him a fair hearing on the multiple accusations of anti-party activities levelled against him.
He said the senator was invited three times to meet with the investigative panel but he failed to acknowledge the invite, leaving the panel with no other choice than to recommend for his immediate suspension from the party.
Also speaking, the woman leader of the ward, Mrs. Nnedinso Omeje stated that the party had never felt the presence of Senator Ayogu Eze since he entered the party before the 2019 elections during which he flew the flag of the party as gubernatorial candidate.
Her words: “It has never felt as if Sen. Ayogu Eze even belongs to this ward since he joined in 2018. He doesn’t attend meetings and never takes care of the needs of the party as someone that was rewarded with our governorship ticket. All he does is try to drag us to meet with the state governor and PDP members. His activities are against the rules and regulations of the party, so we are all in support of his suspension”.
In the suspension letter dated 18th June 2021 and signed by 20 members and principal officers of the party at the ward level, the Umozzi ward 7 advised the state chapter and national headquarters of the party to stop recognising Sen. Ayogu Eze as a member of the party in the ward.
