Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Confusion in Ebonyi APC as two factions hold parallel rallies in support, against Umahi

By Nnamdi Akpa, Abakaliki
05 September 2017   |   4:17 am
There was confusion and mild tension in Ebonyi State as two factions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) staged rallies to celebrate President Muhammadu Buhari’s return...

David Umahi of Ebonyi State.

There was confusion and mild tension in Ebonyi State as two factions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) staged rallies to celebrate President Muhammadu Buhari’s return to Nigeria after his medical trip to London and protest for and against the state government’s proposed $150 million loan.

The two factions were led by Senator Julius Ucha and Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, respectively.

The loan is being sourced from the African Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank for construction of over 198 kilometres road in the state.

The rallies and protests affected human and vehicular movements in Abakaliki, the state capital, as security agents were on hand to forestall breakdown of law and order.

The two factions loyal to the minister and Ucha have been battling for supremacy since the conduct of the last congress in the state.

Onu’s faction of the party has Eze Nwachukwu as its chairman while Ucha’s has Ben Nwaobsi as chairman.

However, Ucha’s faction had distanced itself from the rally against the proposed $150 million loan by the state government and called on its members to disregard the rally.

In a statement, Nwaobasi, who called on members of the party in the state to disregard the anti-$150 million loan rally, said that the APC was in support of any programme that would lead to the development of the state.

Meanwhile, Governor David Umahi has warned the warring factions against further breakdown of law and order in the state through their rallies and counter-rallies.

The governor through his Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Uzor, noted that in as much as the state government is not oblivious of the fact that opposition is a veritable ingredient of democracy, all political actors in the APC should imbibe the rule of the game by conducting themselves in a manner that will not pose security threats to the state.

He said: “The governor condemns seriously the activities of the two factions of APC and advice them to put their house in order as the state government will not fold its arms to allow few political hawks drag the state back.”

0 Comments