The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, Enugu State chapter, on Monday, described as fraudulent, an award said to have been given by the organization to the Chairman of Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, Hon. Pedro Nwankwo.
Our correspondent reports that the said award to Nwankwo as the best council chairman in Enugu State, has been an object of controversy, creating disaffection among members of the IPAC in the State.
However, addressing journalists shortly after their emergency meeting, both the chairman and the Secretary of IPAC, Barr. Ken Ikeh and Dr. Ben Nwoye, respectively, disowned the award.
The umbrella body of political parties said the organization was not into giving awards but ensuring good governance, as such could not have presented such an award to Nwankwo.
Ikeh, while offering explanations on his involvement, said he had accompanied some of his friends to Awgu only to later read in the media that the visit had to do with the IPAC.
He said those on the entourage included only indigenes of Awgu, who were once chairmen of political parties prior to the deregistration of their political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“Apart from myself, every other person that was part of that visit is from Awgu Local Government Area.
“They told me that they were visiting the chairman to thank him for the good relationship they have with him; they were all indigenes of Awgu. They spoke to me and asked that I accompany them. I went to Awgu as a friend to them and not as IPAC chairman.
“So, the essence of the emergency meeting we just had is for me to clarify issues. At no time did the IPAC give anyone an award in Enugu State, it was purely a personal visit,” he stressed.
Also speaking, the IPAC secretary and chairman of the APC in Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye, described the said award as fraudulent.
According to Nwoye, “the visit was fraudulent; the plague I saw had the insignia of IPAC; whoever produced it is fake.
“We have never assessed the performance of that local government or any other politician in Enugu State. The role of IPAC is not to go around giving awards. IPAC at the national level has never given an award to President Buhari or any of the 36 States governors; we all belong to different political parties.
“The individuals that paraded themselves are not chairmen of any existing political parties, they used to be but their parties were deregistered.”
