Worried about the negative impact of the current pool of crises rocking the Enugu State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which led to the invasion of Buhari’s Campaign Office in the State by sponsored thugs and subsequent suspension of the party’s State Deputy Chairman and Woman Leader, the Enugu State Chapter of Interparty Advisory Council (IPAC) has called on the leadership of the APC to tread with caution in order not to distort the existing peace and tranquility being enjoyed in the political space of Enugu State.
It was recently reported in the media that the State Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Ikechukwu Oloto, allegedly accused the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Barr Okey Ezea of sponsoring the thugs that manhandled him and other members of the party at the campaign office of its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, (Rtd.), for demanding that funds released to the State Chapter of the Party from the campaign headquarters be accounted for. The Enugu State Chairman of the APC, Dr. Ben Nwoye had dismissed the reported crises in the party as “the handiwork of some PDP moles within the party”.
But, Hon. Afam Ani who is the State Chairman of IPAC, the umbrella Organization of all the registered political parties in Nigeria, through a statement issued at the weekend, frowned at the grave consequences of the involvement of thugs in the political violence rocking the APC in Enugu State, adding that such bad omen should not be encouraged to resurface in the State’s political lexicon, especially now that the elections are very close.
He noted that political violence of thuggery and gangsterism is a cankerworm that must not be allowed to see the light of the day in the State in particular and Nigeria in general, for the survival of our democracy and in view of the security challenges in the country.
The IPAC Chairman also disclosed that there was an uncompromised need for all stakeholders in the politics of Enugu State to encourage and sustain the existing peace and political discipline, which the State under the PDP-led government of Governor Sullivan Chime has been enjoying in past seven years plus, wondering why a party (APC) that has been clamoring for ‘change’ should be the one to attempt to draw the State back to the dark days of the era of thuggery, political violence and intimidation, in an attempt to resolve its internal issues.
Ani advised the APC and its gubernatorial candidate in the State, Barr. Ezea to rather than engaging in such untoward acts capable of overheating the polity and undermining the existing peace in the State, endeavor to make frantic efforts to advance the principles of democracy, probity and accountability which are fundamental to the growth and development of the political institutions in Nigeria.
He therefore called on the relevant authorities, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to thoroughly investigate the matter and take appropriate sanctions against the culprits in order to avoid such ugly incidents in the future.
