Mr Ejike Agbo, House of Assembly aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says that his alleged suspension was a ploy to deny him opportunity of being screened in the party’s House of Assembly screening exercise.
Agbo, stated this at press briefing on Saturday at Ezzamgbo, Ohaukwu local government area of Ebonyi saying that the purported suspension was an exercise in futility.
The aspirant who is state Ex-Officio member of APC further alleged that some powerful interest from his Ohaukwu LGA were poised to stop his ambition of becoming a member of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly in 2023.Agbo who is seeking nomination to contest for the Ohaukwu South State Constituency noted that the alleged suspension which was allegedly hinged on insurbordination and misconduct was placing ‘something on nothing’ adding that the suspension did not hold any steam.He said:
“As an executive of the party, I know the provisions of the party’s constitution and I’m not ignorant of the provisions of the constitution.”Even when they want to derive their powers from section 21 of the constitution which stipulates that office holders should resign 30 days to the election.”If you are an officer of the party even from the ward you can’t resign because primary election is party affairs but a person occupying party position can only resign 30 days to election if Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is conducting.
“The suspension is an exercise in futility, it cannot stand and I want to tell you authoritatively that I have not breached any section of the party constitution with regard to the conduct of party primaries.”The party brought 24 House of Assembly nomination and expression of interest forms for the so called ‘annointed’candidates, but , I went to Abuja to buy my own with N2 million; today is screening, all they want is to deny me the opportunity.
Hon Agbo ,House of Assembly aspirant posing in a picture with the Ezzamgbo ward executive
“Meanwhile, in a joint press statement issued by messrs James Ogwa and Michael Onwe chairman and secretary of Ezzamgbo ward, the duo said that party at the ward had acquitted the aspirant of wrong doing.They insisted that they were tricked to Abakaliki and forced to sign a letter of suspension and query against the aspirant even they had persistently refused to sign the said suspension letter.”We were summoned by the state officials to Abakaliki where we were forced under duress to sign the alleged suspension letter dated Friday, May 13.”We want to let the party in Ebonyi and indeed Nigerians to know that Agbo is a loyal party man who has contributed in no small measure to the growth of APC in Ezzamgbo ward.
“We wish to distance and dissociate ourselves and the entire ward executive from the alleged suspension and urge the national leadership of our great party to discountenance the said suspension of our preferred aspirant,” the duo said. Meanwhile, efforts to speak with Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha, APC state chairman on the development was not successful as he was said to be busy due to the ongoing party screening.
However, a senior party official who spoke to newsmen on condition of anonymity confirmed the suspension of the ex-officio member on alleged grounds of disobedience to APC Party’s constitution, conduct likely to cause disaffection and disunity in Ezzamgbo ward.
