The crisis that has plagued the Enugu state chapter of the All Progressive Progress (APC) has remained unsolved, with only a few weeks left until the February 25th general elections.
The party chair, Ugochukwu Agballah, has failed to win the support of party big wigs in the state, amidst accusations of misappropriation. He is accused of embezzling N1 billion of state Party funds allocated as convention allowance, as well as N283 million realized from selling expression of interest and nomination forms.
Agballah was elected party chair after the controversial removal and later expulsion of former state party chair, Ben Nwoye. He has since then been unable to pull the party together, with party chieftains such as former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, former governor, Sullivan Chime and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, calling for his removal.
Last month the deputy chair of the party in the state, Adolphus Ude, alleged that his life was under threat from Agballah and the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Uche Nnaji.
This comes as the APC makes a last minute pitch to win the presidential elections against the backdrop of heightening national crises, particularly the shortage of new naira notes, and an enduring scarcity of fuel that has caused finger pointing within the administration. The crisis in Enugu APC is a microcosm of the general disarray within the hegemonic political parties representing capitalist interests in Nigeria.
The 2023 election cycle has seen more discord within the different factions of the ruling class, even as we inch closer to polling day. It is becoming ever more likely that the presidential election is headed for a historic run-off, not because there are so many real alternatives on the ballot, but rather simply because the ruling class cannot agree on a united front, not even within their selected political factions.
by Kayode Somtochukwu ANI
