Some leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the Ukwa East / Ukwa West Federal Constituency of Abia State, have condemned the declaration, at Igbere, Bende Local Government Area, Abia State, of the immediate former Ukwa West transition Chairman, Chief Sylvanus Nwaji, for the party.
The leader of the Abia State APC Caucus and former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, had, two days ago, received the former Transition Chairman of Ukwa West, Chief Nwaji, who was, until his declaration, a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the APC.
Speaking on the defection, the leader of Ukwa West APC, who is also the Deputy Chairman of the Abia State APC Caretaker Committee, Chief Ogunka Adiele John, said it was an abuse of party procedure for declarations to be made outside the constituency of an intending party member, stressing that the recognition of people in political parties was done from the bottom to the top and not from the top to the bottom. He, however, said it was heartwarming that the Caucus leader, Dr. Uzor Kalu advised the decampee to go back to his Ward and register immediately.
He said, ” without prejudice to the position of the Chief whip of the Nigerian Senate who is the leader of the APC in Abia State, party procedures have to be respected in all ramifications. It is the culture of parties for people to join at their constituencies, after which such a person can be taken to other leaders of the party”.
He said he was yet to come to terms with what motivated Chief Nwaji to go to Igbere for the Caucus leader to receive him into the party without first recognising the party hierarchy at the constituency where he comes from, adding that the action was an aberration and had the potency of causing disillusionment at the grassroots level of the party.
In his own reaction, a leader of APC in Ukwa East Local Government Area, Chidi Nwankpa said, “It baffles me how the man just left office as PDP Transition Chairman some days ago, ignored APC leadership in his Ward, LGA and Federal Constituency; then ran to Igbere to perform part of the acts he is known for, which is flirtation with political parties.
” It seems Chief Sylvanus Nwaji did not even bother to inform APC leadership in his Ward, LGA & Ukwa Federal Constituency about his joining APC. He joined straight at Igbere Ward.” Wonders shall never end, he concluded.
The Youth Leader of Ukwa West APC, Chukwu Ogbuji, in his reaction, described the decision of Nwaji to go to Igbere to declare for the APC as a very wrong step, adding that it would be a dangerous precedent to receive recognition at top before coming to the grassroots, which is the foundation of any political party.
He said, “if Nwaji had meant well for the party, he would have made proper consultations at the local level before allowing Mr. Signor Kanu, former Aba Central State Constituency candidate for the APC in the last general elections, to accompany him to the leader of the party in the State”.
According to him, Kanu is yet to regularise his membership of the party in Ukwa West local government area and to that extent, cannot be said to be one of the leaders of the party in the local government.
Commenting on the development, the Chairman of Obuzor Ward, where Chief Nwaji comes from, Mr. Chinonso Ebere said he was not surprised that Chief Nwaji ignored his Ward and went to Igbere to declare for the party because he has never been known to have respect for people in his Ward and party discipline.
He said it was very sad that after all that members of the party had done to strengthen the party in the area, someone would come with destabilising strategies to thwart the intention of the APC to take over power in Ukwa West from the PDP in 2023.
