How Minister invaded APC Ward Congress with security operatives

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, on Saturday, arrived the ward congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his community, Eke, Udi Council Area, Enugu State, surrounded by retinue of Police personnel attempting to intimidate party supporters to support   his candidates in the party election. To his consternation, all the candidates the Minister sponsored for the APC Ward leadership were defeated.

It was gathered that the Congress began at 9:00am as scheduled but the Minister arrived the venue at about 1:00pm with a large entourage of heavily armed policemen. At that time, the congress was said to ne rounding up.

The Minister, in arrival, was drumming support for the re-election of APC former ward chairman, Ozo Austin Umeh, was said to have led to faceoff between his supporters and other party loyalists who resisted intimidation and refused to be cowed by the presence of armed security operatives.

While the mix-up persisted at the party office, chairman of the electoral panel, Mr. Charles Buolu, announced that the election had ended.

Several APC faithful, including the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, were said to have left the venue after the chairman’s announcement, leaving the Minister and his supporters behind.

The ward congress was held at APC office located at Eke Market.

At the congress, ward executives and delegates to the state and local government congresses were elected.

Philip Eze was elected Chairman, Cletus Chikelu, Vice Chairman, Ikemefuna Theophilus, Secretary, Udeh Ifeanyi, Financial Secretary and others.

The congress held in 260 political wards in the state.

Former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, at APC Ward 2 in Amechi-Uwani near Eke-tu Market in Enugu South LGA, remarked that APC had got it right by putting its house in order from the ward level of politics.