The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Enugu State took a turn for the worse on Wednesday as some embittered members invaded the campaign office of its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, (Rtd.) leading to a fracas in which several persons were wounded.
The attack it was learnt was the climax of a series of crises that had gripped the party in the state with many members accusing both the Buhari Campaign and the party’s gubernatorial candidate in the State, Mr Okey Ezea of embezzling over N150million of the campaign funds.
The Youth leader of the APC in the State, Mr. Iyke Oloto, who was reportedly beaten and taken away by the thugs, later circulated a text message, where he accused the party’s guber candidate, Barr. Okey Ezea of sponsoring the attack.
The text message, which he addressed to the National Chairman of the party read: “My Nat. Chairman Sir, greetings of d season. Pls my name is Prince Ike Oloto, State Youth leader & a State Working Member Enugu State. I want to inform you of the injustice & discrimination done to us by our state Chairman & Guber Candidate Barr Okey Ezea.
“Sir, our consistent demand to know the financial status of our Party APC & insisting that our State SWC & SEC are carried along in the State, some of us including my humble self are either suspended, excluded or side lined in Party Affairs. My name was removed & replaced in BCO. Moreso, Barr Ezea Guber-Candidate has been bought & settled by PDP with 600million Naira. Right now, Barr Okey Ezea is sabotaging APC as Saboteur & PDP MOLE. All GMB funds & logistics to Enugu state has been dubiously channeled to his private account & not utilized. Mark my word Sir & Quote me. Your true Servant Prince Ike Oloto”.
The aggrieved party members have sworn not to let the matter rest until those who embezzled the money were made to account for their actions.
“No amount of intimidation or falsehood can prevent us from getting to the root of this matter. It is a shame that when as a party, we say we are fighting corruption, yet we have in our midst, the worst culprits and the worst is thing is that they happen to be our leaders. We cannot let them get away with this, we have a duty to expose and flush them out”, they stated.
Meanwhile the State Chairman of the party, Ben Nwoye has confirmed the incident even though he blamed it on those he called moles in the party.
Nwoye who is one of those being accused by the aggrieved party members, made the confirmation in a statement issued in Enugu.
He disclosed the party has suspended its state women leader, and deputy chairman alleging that they “have been working against the growth and interest of our party”.
However, a source in the Abuja APC campaign office who confided in TheCitizen said that the actual amount so far sent to Enugu APC chapter was N38million which was used to host the party’s presidential flag bearer, Gen Muhammed Buhari when he came to Enugu.
The second tranche of N100million proposed to be remitted for the postponed elections is yet to come.
