‘Where’s our $1.5m convention allowance?’ — Enugu party members protest at APC HQ

Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Enugu State staged a protest in Abuja on Monday over alleged non-payment of “convention allowances” to the tune of $1.5 million by the party’s leadership in the state.

The convention to pick a presidential candidate – of which Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State won – was held in June 2022.

The party members under the aegis of “Concerned of Enugu State APC” besieged the ruling party’s national secretariat in the federal capital territory (FCT) to make their case.

They also said another sum of N283 million, proceeds from the sale of nomination forms, was also allegedly misappropriated.

Speaking during the protest, Alphonsus Ude, leader of the group, said the national working committee (NWC) led by Abdullahi Adamu, national chairman of the party, should compel Ugochukwu Agballah, Enugu party chairman, and Uche Nnaji, governorship candidate in the state, to give them their convention allowances.

“There is also the issue of hijacking of the funds provided for preparation for the forthcoming 11th January 2023 presidential rally in Enugu and visit by our presidential candidate, Awiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima,” Ude, a former deputy chairman of the party in Enugu, said.

“Although serious damage has already been done to the party by the duo of Agballah and Nnaji, who in the real sense is not interested in the wellbeing and victory of the APC, but only in making brisk business at the expense of our party, we believe that the national leadership of the party; our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu; his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima; and our President, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, could still work with the leaders and mainstream of the APC to remedy the situation before the general election.

They called on the national leadership of the party to remove Agballah as the chairman of the APC in Enugu State, calling for the appointment of a caretaker chairman to pilot the party through the 2023 general election.

“We call on the national leadership of the party to cause Agballah and Nnaji to immediately make available to the state’s delegates to the national convention and presidential primary election the allowances totaling about $1.5 million given to them,” he said.

“We call on the national leadership of the APC to cause Agballah and Nnaji to immediately account for the sum of N283 million released to them for the expression of interest and nomination forms for all the elective offices in Enugu in the 2023 general election.

“We call on the national leadership of the party to cause Agballah and Nnaji to release the funds made available for the preparations for the forthcoming presidential rally in Enugu.

“As loyal party members, we re-emphasise the need to address with dispatch these issues raised in our protest letter submitted here in order to reposition our party for a resounding impact in the presidential election in Enugu state.”

‘IT’S A FALSE’

Reacting to the claim, Fidelis Edeh, director-general of the Uche Nnaji campaign organisation, said the allegation was baseless.

“APC should be the one to confirm [whether funds were released] and not the candidate,” Edeh said.

On Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to lead party chieftains to campaign for Tinubu in Enugu on Wednesday.