The last may not have been heard of the crisis rocking the Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in spite of the certificate of return issued to Chief Ugochukwu Agballah as chairman by the party’s national leadership.
A faction of the party in the state led by Adolphus Ude, yesterday, dismissed the certificate presented to Agballah, as an exercise in futility.
Also, one of the lawyers handling the litigations by members of the party, Chukwudi Igwe, declared that only the court could determine the authentic party leadership in Enugu State.
Ude, who emerged as chairman in the factional state congress in Enugu last year, told reporters at a media briefing that his faction was not perturbed.
He said: “We heard the news, but we are not losing sleep over it, because it is a jamboree. Anybody can parade papers or whatever it can be called.
“The facts remain that Agballah is not even a member of our party and this is subject of litigation before an FCT High Court. He is not even a member of the party. Anyone who is dealing with him is wasting his time because the action will not last, it won’t survive judicial review.”
He said the Enugu State APC was not a rehabilitation centre, as a landlord could not be a tenant in his own house, just as one of the lawyers handling the case, Mr. Igwe, described the development as ‘a ruse.’
“There is no cause for alarm over the pending court cases on membership of Agballah in the party and the validity of the purported congress from which he emerged as chairman of the party.
“We are not perturbed that he has been given a certificate of return, because there is no indication that the national chairman approved the purported certificate of return to Agballah,” he said.
Other defendants in the suit are Dr. Ben Nwoye, APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The plaintiff argued that Agballah’s purported emergence was in contravention of Section 85 (3) of the Electoral Act as Amended and the APC constitution.
Ude also asked the court to stop Agballah from parading himself as a registered member of the APC pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Agballah was issued a certificate of return as Enugu State Chairman of the party after INEC and the national leadership failed to issue him the certificate last week
