The Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Tuesday came hard on a former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, VON, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, accusing him of penchant to haul insults and baseless allegations against leaders of the party in the South-East geopolitical zone of the country.
The party decried what it called the recent attack on the leader of APC in the South East and governor of Imo State, Sen Hope Uzodimma by Okechukwu whereby the former VON DG on the governor to resign as the Chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum.
In a statement by the State Executive Chapter of APC Enugu State and signed by Chief Mike Ezeanyanwu, the publicity Secretary of APC and made available to journalists in Enugu, the party described Okechukwu as an attention-seeking political jobber and a product of media creation, who lacked relevance and touch with his political base in Udi local government area of the state.
The party recalled that, “Okechukwu and his co-travelers from Enugu State were suspended by the state chapter of the party for working against the presidential, National Assembly and governorship candidates of the party in Enugu State during the 2023 general elections.
“Okechukwu should stop parading himself as a founder of APC, because he is not one. He is a known jobless character who used gossip, propaganda and media hype to ingratiate himself to the former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Having found himself in the political wilderness, Okechukwu is now falling back to his old well known antics, thinking he could talk himself into relevance in the current administration.
“Unfortunately for him, many discerning politicians even within the inner core of former President Buhari’s administration know him too well as an empty barrel and echo chamber.
“Having been let off the hook through the intervention of some highly placed persons in the former administration after his investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), one would have expected Okechukwu to remain contrite and sober and humble.
“But he has remained a nuisance and an unfortunate though comic creation of the media , even while being quarantined in Abuja as he has never been to Enugu state in the past five years”.
The Enugu APC said Okechukwu has been hired by disgruntled politicians within and outside the Southeast to wage campaign of calumny against Gov Uzodimma who has been the pillar of APC in the Southeast.
The party said, “We urge the public and teeming members of our party to ignore these disgruntled elements. They are on a failed mission to denigrate and diminish our leader by continuing to make baseless insinuations and bandying the name of Sen Hope Uzodimma, a leader in the zone who has been making a lot of sacrifices to reposition APC in the region.
“In Enugu state for instance, His Excellency Sen Hope Uzodimma has been our pillar of support, ensuring that we have functional and befitting state and zonal offices among numerous financial support to help our consolidation”.
The party cautioned Okechukwu and his sponsors to desist from the ceaseless insults and senseless dragging of Gov Uzodimma’s name at any given opportunity.
The party said that the APC was currently on the path of growth in the region with solid political structures being put in place under Uzodimma’s leadership, “as against previous Nicodemus political posturing by the likes of Okechukwu, who use the party as a vehicle to grab appointments in Abuja without identifying with the party at the ward, LG or state level but rather be APC in Abuja and PDP in Enugu.”