The Secretary of the National Convention
Committee of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Ben Nwajumogu, has
resigned his appointment.
He confirmed earlier speculations that he quit the job late on Friday at a news conference with newsmen in Abuja on Saturday.
Nwajumogu cited domestic issues as the
reasons for his decision explaining that although he was no longer the
committe’s secretary, he remained a member of the 240-member panel.
In his place, the National Working
Committee of the APC announced the appointment of the Chairman of the
Board of Niger Delta Development Commission, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba,
as his replacement. The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam
Bolaji Abdullahi, confirmed this development in a telephone interview
with SUNDAY PUNCH.
Abdullahi confirmed that the NWC had received and accepted Nwajumogu’s resignation and named Ndoma-Egba as his replacement.
However, findings by SUNDAY PUNCH
revealed that Nwajumoga was asked to step down following pressure from
the Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha.
A top-ranking party leader privy to what
transpired behind the scenes told our correspondent in confidence that
the governor “practically relocated to Abuja” to mount pressure on the
party leaders and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.
The source stated, “Rochas (Okorocha)
was behind it. He went about calling for the man’s (Nwajumogu) removal.
He went to the Vice President and came to our chairman to say the man is
his problem.
“He put pressure on the VP and our
chairman, insisting that the secretary, who he said had not hidden his
dislike for him, should be removed. The governor even requested that he
should be allowed to nominate someone else from Imo.
“The chairman put his feet down and said
the position was not zoned to Imo State. Our chairman also insisted
that the secretary be given a ‘dignified exit’ and be allowed to resign
instead of an announcement of a replacement.
“The committee secretary agreed to step
down in the interest of the party. That was how a quick search, which
was done in consultation with relevant stakeholders, was carried out
overnight and Senator Ndoma-Egba from Cross Rivers State was given the
challenge.”
In response to a question as to whether,
he was indeed asked to resign as part of an agreement to pacify
Okorocha, Nwajumogu denied the charge.
He admitted that there was no love lost
between him and the governor, saying it was nothing personal and that
the governor had always threatened to leave the APC if things were not
done his way.
Nwajumogu said, “I heard he threatened
to leave the party if his position was not taken… This started more than
two weeks ago and it is just a coincidence because I had made up my
mind to leave.
“I am just hoping that now that I have
left, my governor, Rochas Okorocha, returns to Imo and spend more time
to attend to the various issues that he has created for himself.”
He said stakeholders of the APC in Imo State were opposed to Okorocha’s leadership style based on principles.
Nwajumogu stated, “Our opposition to
that is something that is based on principle; based on the fact that 95
per cent of Imo citizens and indeed south-easterners are not happy with
what is happening in Imo State.
“It is very clear today that this is no
longer an Imo issue but a South-East issue. It is very clear now that
the entire South-East has lost confidence in the leadership of Rochas
Anayo Okorocha and all we are saying is that Nigerians should take note
that we no longer have him as our leader.”
He also insisted that he left on his own
volition because he took the decision to enable him to attend to his
obligations to his family, adding that no one forced him to resign.
According to him, whatever decision a politician takes there are “political consequences.”
On his resignation, he stated,
“Yesterday, I tendered my resignation as the Secretary of the APC
Convention Planning Committee and the resignation was accepted last
night by the national chairman of the party.
“The reason why I resigned primarily is
that when I was appointed, the date for the national convention, as we
were informed, was to be on May 14.
“Eventually, that date was moved to June
2 and there were hopes that the convention would hold between June 2
and 9. However, the date has now been moved to June 23 and it will
conflict with my family activities and responsibilities.
“For example, two of my children are
graduating from a university in England within this month and I have a
responsibility to be there and I have some other jobs at hands too. So, I
decided that since I won’t have the time for this convention, I should
resign so that the position can be given to somebody who has the time.”
According to him, the committee has only
received N13m from the party. This, according to him, was what was used
to pay for hotel bills, office equipment for the secretariat and other
activities so far carried out by the committee.
He described some media reports that he was sacked for misappropriation of funds as the handiwork of mischief makers.
In response to a question on
controversies surrounding the membership of the committee, Nwajumogu
said party stakeholders across board nominated some of the members of
the committee.
He said, “We have a total of about 20
members for each committee and the committees are 12. That makes it 240
members. In that regard, the NWC sent about 108 people to the committee.
We got nominations from different groups.
“The Buhari Support Organisation, the
Buhari Campaign Organisation, the wife of the President and various
interest groups in the APC, including the diaspora organisations, and of
course, there is no way I will be a member and the Secretary of the
National Convention Committee and I will not have nominees in the
convention.
“I brought about 18 members of my own
which was granted to me and approved by the national convention
chairman. Some of my nominees are Yoruba, northerners and Igbo.
But Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, the Chief Press
Secretary to Okorocha, said the ex-convention secretary should look
elsewhere for the reasons why he was removed.
He added, “What else would he (Nwajumogu) have said? He knows what removed him.
“They came from a political party that
believes in manipulating everything; and certain offices require high
level of decency. They are not meant for vampires.
“And if he insists that the governor did
it, we won’t also regret that because the same governor took him to the
Senate and he is today Eneke, the bird.”
Also speaking on the reasons behind
Nwajumogu’s resignation, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC,
Bolaji Abdullahi, said it was the ex-secretary’s personal decision which
he said must be respected.
He said, “To the best of my knowledge,
the reasons he gave were personal and the National Working Committee has
appointed somebody else, Senator. Victor Ndoma-Egba.”
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