The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State has accused the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) of manufacturing controversy over the recent visit of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, insisting that the party’s activities in the state are driven by unfounded allegations rather than political issues.
The reaction followed claims by the NDC camp that the Enugu State Government had directed the management of a facility booked for Obi’s town hall meeting to deny the party access to the venue, less than 24 hours before the scheduled event.
Although the meeting eventually took place, the management of the event centre reportedly disputed the NDC’s account, claiming that the party had not directly booked the facility and had allegedly used a medical organisation as a front to secure it.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Steve Oruruo, Spokesperson and Director of Public Communications of the Enugu APC Campaign Council, accused the NDC of deliberately constructing a series of false allegations aimed at tarnishing the state’s reputation.
According to Oruruo, “Silence could have been golden, save for the brazen frivolity that characterised the chronicled and dramatised falsehood intentionally deployed to embarrass and impugn the image of the entire state, and invariably validate their next lie in the sequence of street-level mendacities, while an unsuspecting section of the populace may remain confused.”
He urged Enugu residents not to be swayed by what he described as political gimmicks, barefaced antics and attempts to mislead the public.
The APC spokesperson maintained that the account provided by the event centre’s management had exposed what he characterised as the NDC’s alleged deceptive tactics.
He specifically referenced the involvement of one Dr Sabastine Chuks Eze, whom he accused of presenting himself as the Registrar of the Nigeria Institute of Healthcare Givers and Medical Social Work Practitioners before allegedly securing arrangements that later became an NDC contract for Obi’s town hall meeting.
Oruruo said the facility’s management had initially granted the individual access under an arrangement that permitted it to stop any activity, meeting or event that failed to comply with its stipulated conditions.
He further accused Mrs Ada Ogbu and other NDC members of attempting to mislead Enugu voters, whom he described as politically conscious and intellectually discerning, through what he called avoidable errors.
Questioning the party’s claims of moral uprightness, Oruruo asked, “Where is the ecclesiastical rectitude, untainted probity, and self-acclaimed morality that former Governor Peter Obi preaches? Have they not been cascaded to Enugu NDC members?”
Describing the NDC’s political standing in the state as insignificant, he declared that “Enugu NDC has failed on arrival. It is almost non-existent in Enugu and perhaps gains its only infinitesimal traction whenever the state government or the name of our erudite Governor is mentioned in its tales of woes.
“Mischievously linking uncharitable words or deeds, without verifiable facts, to a revered state that the NDC purportedly intends to govern is antithetical to the minimum acceptable trust values and the widely acknowledged enviable security profile of Enugu State.”
The APC subsequently called on Ada Ogbu to apologise to Enugu residents, arguing that her party’s allegations had undermined public confidence and offended the sensibilities of the state’s people.
Oruruo also maintained that the 2027 general elections should be determined by substantive policy discussions, competing ideas and candidates’ ability to deliver on their promises, rather than allegations and political distractions.
He added that Enugu State remained peaceful and accommodating, rejecting any suggestion that the state was hostile to opposition political activities.
