Enugu Council Polls: APGA endorses Enugu Caretaker C’ttee for 17 LGAs

By Francis Igata

ENUGU—The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Enugu State Chapter,yesterday,threw its weight behind the setting up of Caretaker Committees to administer to the running of 17 council areas in the state as approved by political stakeholders for Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Ugwuanyi had last Saturday, at the expanded meeting of stakeholders held at the Old Government Lodge,cited the on-going local government staff audit and the inadequate provision of funds in the 2015 budget for council poll as the bane even as he noted that the little appropriated for it is grossly and manifestly inadequate which he assured to address in the 2016 budget to enable elections hold.

But while standing shoulder-to-shoulder to the approval given to the governor by the stakeholders, the immediate past State Chairman of APGA,Enugu State Chapter, Mr. Okechukwu Nkolagu explained that,”APGA adopted Governor Ugwuanyi as its candidate in the last general election. We are in full support of the caretaker committee.

“The governor has briefed and consulted with us on why the Local Government election will not be able to hold for now as a result of poor funds earmarked for it in the current budget. We see reasons with him and appeal to the public to be calm having gotten assurance from the governor that the issue of funds will be dealt with in 2016 budget to enable elections hold.

On the publication by Maxi Okwu who reportedly threatened to drag Enugu State to court if council polls were not conducted on the platfoem of APGA,Nkolagu who is now the Deputy National Financial Secretary of APGA,said,”as far as APGA is concerned,Maxi Okwu was expelled from APGA in 2005.

“He (Okwu)has no locus to discuss anything concerning APGA in the state. Okwu has remained an expelled member. When we saw the publication,we immediately knew that it was imperative for us to set the record straight. At the state and national level,we have never met a character called Maxi. That is why the public should disregard him and know that what he is talking is balderdash. Okwu cannot be using APGA platform to canvass for personal interests.”