The Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced the indefinite suspension of its chairman, Mr. Ben Nwoye.

His suspension was announced on Monday after a State Working Committee meeting of the party, which was presided over by the Deputy Chairman, Comrade Adolphus Ude.

News Express gathered that the meeting was held at the party’s secretariat in the state, where the Executive Committee members accused Nwoye of abuse of office and anti-party activities.

Nwoye is being accused of running the party as his personal enterprise as well as engaging in financial misappropriation.

The party said its decision followed the crisis rocking the chapter, which had lingered from 2015 till date.

The decision was signed by the Deputy State Chairman, Ude; the Acting State Secretary, Okolo Louis; the State Woman Leader, Lolo Queen Nwankwo; the Financial Secretary, Sydney Eze; the State Youth leader, Prince Ikechukwu Oloto; the State Treasurer, Okoro Ebere; and the Vice Chairman, Chief Anike Nwoga.

In a 15-point resolution signed by the State Working Committee members, they alleged that “the State Chairman alongside with some stakeholders diverted money sent to Enugu State for the Presidential and National Assembly elections for his personal purposes.

“That the State Chairman has embezzled party funds with reckless abandon without any approval or authorisation from the State Working Committee, against the constitution of the party.

“That Dr. Ben Nwoye runs the administration of the party as a one-man show and authoritative in nature with intimidating tendencies by using the DSS (Department of State Service) and thugs that he brings to the State Working Committee and State Executive meetings to intimidate members of the party.

“That the record shows that the state chairman signed 22 cheques without the approval of the State Working Committee.

“That the state chairman arrogated to himself the duties and functions of state financial secretary, treasurer, auditor, publicity secretary and secretary.”

While accusing Nwoye of engaging in anti-party activities, which "undermined the interest and growth of the party”, they alleged that “he attends PDP functions.”

They added that “the State chairman has arrogated to himself the position of maximum ruler with powers to suspend, sack an executive member elected through the congress and reinstate at will.

“That the Enugu State APC Working Committee meets only when our leader wants to address us and there is no specific date for either monthly or weekly meetings.”

They held that giving the above circumstances, the party became factionalized and was now in comatose and cannot win any election with Nwoye on the saddle.

The SWC members declared: “That Dr. Ben Nwoye is hereby suspended as the State Chairman of the APC in Enugu State.

“That the State Deputy Chairman shall be the acting chairman pending the outcome of investigation.

“That an accelerated effort should be made to reconcile all members and to review the position of the suspended members.”

When contacted, Nwoye ‎told Daily Post that the suspension was an exercise in futility as it was in total breach of Article 21 of the APC constitution.

He stated that the action of the members amounted to criminality as, according to him, they broke to the State Secretariat as thugs.

Nwoye further stated that those involved in his suspension had one issue or the other hanging on their neck, stressing that the exercise they carried out was either to save themselves from imminent hammer from the party hierarchy over their atrocities or to fight back having been relieved of their positions.

On the corruption allegations against him, he said: “I challenge Val Nnadozie and A. C. Ude to bring evidences that I stole money. Let them go to the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission), the DSS or the Police and pursue their case.

“People are not suspended in our party through press conferences; it is a mockery of the system.

“Go and check Article 21 of the APC constitution, the process is very clear. You must first of all set up a committee to investigate the allegations against the person and in this case, it is the only the SEC that has power to initiate that process.”

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