Alleged misconduct: Suspension, ploy to stop my screening — Aspirant

Mr Ejike Agbo, House of Assembly aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has cried out against his purported suspension by the party.

He said at a news briefing at Ezzamgbo, Ohaukwu Local Government Area, Ebonyi, on Saturday that his alleged suspension was a ploy to deny him opportunity of being screened in the party's House of Assembly screening exercise.

Agbo said that the purported suspension was an exercise in futility.

The aspirant, a state Ex-Officio member of APC, further alleged that some powerful interests from his Ohaukwu LGA were poised to stop his ambition of becoming a member of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly in 2023.

Agbo, who is seeking nomination to contest for the Ohaukwu South State Constituency, noted that the alleged suspension was hinged on alleged insurbordination and misconduct describing it as placing 'something on nothing'.

He added that the suspension did not hold any steam.

He said: "As an executive member of the party, I know the provisions of the party's constitution and I'm not ignorant of the provisions of the constitution.

"Even when they want to derive their powers from section 21 of the constitution which stipulates that office holders should resign 30 days to the election, if you are an officer of the party even from the ward you can't resign.

"It is because primary election is party affair but a person occupying party position can only resign 30 days to election if Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is conducting.

"The suspension is an exercise in futility, it cannot stand and I want to tell you authoritatively that I have not breached any section of the party constitution with regard to the conduct of party primaries.

"The party brought 24 House of Assembly nomination and expression of interest forms for the so called 'annointed' candidates, but I went to Abuja to buy my own with N2 million.

"Today is screening, all they want is to deny me the opportunity."

Meanwhile, in a joint statement issued by messrs James Ogwa and Michael Onwe chairman and secretary of Ezzamgbo ward, respectively, both said that party at the ward had acquitted the aspirant of wrong doing.

They said that they were tricked to Abakaliki and forced to sign a letter of suspension and query against the aspirant even as they had persistently refused to sign the said suspension letter.

"We were summoned by the state officials to Abakaliki where we were forced under duress to sign the alleged suspension letter dated Friday, May 13.

"We want to let the party in Ebonyi and indeed Nigerians to know that Agbo is a loyal party man who has contributed in no small measure to the growth of APC in Ezzamgbo ward.

"We wish to distance and dissociate ourselves and the entire ward executive from the alleged suspension and urge the national leadership of our great party to discountenance the said suspension of our preferred aspirant," they said.

Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha, APC state chairman, could not be reached on the development as he was said to be busy due to the ongoing party screening.

However, a senior party official who spoke to newsmen on condition of anonymity confirmed the suspension of the ex-officio member on grounds of disobedience to APC constitution, conduct likely to cause disaffection and disunity in Ezzamgbo ward.