The Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Imo State Barr. Peter Ezeobi has suspended one of the contestants in the just concluded APGA governorship primary election in Imo State Mr. Okey Eze and three others from APGA for alleged insubordination, gross indiscipline and anti-party activities.
Addressing a section of the press in his office recently in Owerri, Barr. Ezeobi remarked that the suspension was in relation to a recent acclaimed counter parallel primary election Mr. Eze and the other suspended persons organised illegally.
‘Mr. Okey Eze obtained his party governorship Nomination and Expression of Interest forms from the national office of our party under the leadership of Chief Victor Umeh and was screened together with the other contestants namely Capt Emmanuel Ihenacho and Mazi Okey Unegbu. He was also present and participated fully during the primary election conducted by the party at Rosy Arts Theatre Ikenegbu Owerri on the 8th of December, 2014 which was won by Capt Ihenacho. The primary was monitored by the Independent Electoral Commission, the police Civil Defence Corps and the State Security Service. Therefore, it is an embarrassment and a serious party misconduct for Okey Eze, after loosing in the authentic governorship primary election conducted by our party, to go to his event center in Owerri thereafter to make a jest of our party by using posters of the other aspirants to conduct what he called parallel governorship primary election and announcing himself the winner. Thought the action appears childish and funny yet, it is a grave party misconduct…’. Barr. Ezeobi said.
Justifying the suspension, the Oguta-born lawyer said that the leadership of the party in the state had earlier summoned Mr. Eze to come and answer questions on the alleged misconduct but that the Mbaise-born former staff of Citi bank vehemently shunned the invitation.
‘…We cannot continue to watch Mr. Okey Eze and his cohorts ridicule our party, create confusion and deceive the public with their recent acts of indiscipline and anti-party and malicious activities. Nobody is above the law. Therefore, we invoke Article 21 of our party’s Constitution to suspend him and the others accordingly. The matter will be referred to the party’s disciplinary committee in the state as provided in the party’s constitution for further action’, he declared.
Others suspended with Mr. Eze include the Director General of his campaign Organisation Mr. Sonny Nwadialo, Eugene Nzeme and Engr. Chidozie Orijuba
While answering questions from the press, the state party chairman also stated that there were no factions in APGA saying that the party is an indivisible one headed by Chief Umeh with himself as the chairman in Imo State. He also said that the Independent Electoral Commission had been fully relating to them in terms of submission of names of candidates of the party for the 2015 general elections.
