Chairmanship crisis: APGA disowns Ukaegbu, recognises Ehiemere

Agency Report,

The National leadership of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, has disowned Prince Nnanna Ukaegbu laying claims to the chairmanship of the Abia State chapter of the party.

APGA recognised Rev. Augustine Ehiemere as the authentic Chairman of the party in Abia, and urged members of the public to ignore Ukaegbu.

The party in a strong-worded press statement issued in Abuja, said that “Ukaegbu is unknown to APGA”.

The statement signed by the Deputy National Secretary of APGA, Chief Godwin Udu, urged security agencies as well as the party members to cooperate with Ehiemere.

Below is a full text of the statement made available to Track News media:

“It has come to the notice of our great party, APGA, the recent altercations in the Abia State branch of the party caused by the activities of some persons laying claim to the leadership of the party in the state.

“We wish to state unequivocally that, according to our records, Reverend Augustine Ehiemere is the legitimate State Chairman of our party having been duly elected alongside other officers at the State Congress held in Abia State on May 23, 2019, and affirmed by the National Convention held on May 31, 2019 at Awka, Anambra State.

“We, by this press release, wish to state that any other person laying claim to the chairmanship of the party in Abia State is not known to us, or our Constitution and should be discountenanced.

“Reverend Augustine Ehiemere should be given the necessary cooperation by the Law enforcement agencies, our teeming supporters across the country (particularly in Abia State) and all and sundry to enable him to discharge his duties diligently.”

Track News Nigeria had reported that Ukaegbu had in September, stormed APGA secretariat in Umuahia, claiming to be the state Chairman of the party based on Owerri Court order.

But Ehiemere-led State Working Committee, dismissed him as an impostor, explaining that his tenure as Chairman expired since 2014.

According to APGA, the court order upon which Ukaegbu is laying his claims was an academic exercise as the tenure he was contesting had elapsed since eight years ago, and the party had held two successive congresses.