Enugu State’s All Progressives Congress has criticised the Nigeria Democratic Congress after a dispute over the venue for Peter Obi’s town hall meeting, arguing that allegations against the state government were fabricated and risked damaging the state’s reputation.
Key takeaways
- Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, visited Enugu last week for a town hall event.
- The NDC alleged shortly before the gathering that venue operators had been directed to deny access.
- The meeting went ahead, while the facility’s management said the party had not made the original reservation.
- APC campaign spokesman Steve Oruruo said a medical organisation had been used to secure the booking.
- The APC urged that the 2027 contest focus on policy proposals, ideas and governing capability.
Dispute over town hall booking
Less than 24 hours before Obi’s planned appearance, the NDC camp claimed that the Enugu State government had instructed the owners of the venue reserved for the event not to allow the party to use it.
The town hall ultimately took place. However, the venue operators said the NDC had not directly booked the premises, maintaining that a medical body had been presented as the organisation behind the reservation.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Steve Oruruo, spokesperson and director of public communications for the Enugu APC Campaign Council, accused the NDC of constructing what he called multiple unfounded allegations.
Oruruo said remaining silent might have been preferable but for what he described as deliberate, theatrical falsehoods intended to embarrass the state and undermine its image. He argued that the claims were designed to support further accusations and could mislead members of the public.
He called on Enugu residents to reject what he characterised as blatant political tricks, gimmicks and misconduct.
APC calls for issue-based 2027 campaign
Oruruo said the explanation provided by the event-centre management had revealed what the APC considers the NDC’s alleged misinformation operation. He cited Dr Sabastine Chuks Eze, whom he described as a client acting under a different identity and presenting himself as registrar of the Nigeria Institute of Healthcare Givers and Medical Social Work Practitioners.
He said Eze had accepted the management’s right to stop any meeting, programme or activity that did not comply strictly with the facility’s conditions. The arrangement, Oruruo said, later became a booking for an NDC town hall organised for former governor Obi.
The APC spokesman alleged that Mrs Ada Ogbu and others involved had made an unsuccessful effort to mislead Enugu voters, whom he described as highly educated and guided by reason. He said the episode had instead created avoidable errors and confusion.
“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?” Oruruo said.
He added that the Enugu NDC had “failed on arrival” and was nearly absent from the state’s political landscape, claiming it gained limited attention only when it referred to the state government or Enugu’s governor in what he called its complaints.
Oruruo said attaching negative statements or actions to Enugu without verifiable evidence was incompatible with basic standards of trust and could harm the state’s widely recognised security record. He noted that the NDC purportedly seeks to govern the state.
The APC asked Ogbu to apologise to Enugu residents, saying she would then understand the degree to which their sensibilities and temperament had been offended.
Oruruo said the 2027 elections should be fought on substantive issues, ideas and proven ability to deliver results, adding that Enugu State remained peaceful and welcoming.
