From Steve Oko, Umuahia
The immediate past General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Sanitation Agency, ASEPA, Hon. Victor Apugo, has accused those he described as “third party” and sychophants” of stoking the political feud between his father Prince Benjamin Apugo, and Senator Theodore Orji representing Abia Central senatorial district.
The former ASEPA boss who stated this at a press briefing in Umuahia also warned that he wouldn’t “tolerate anybody insulting my father because of politics”.
He tasked the “third parties” to rather explore ways to make peace between the duo instead of helping to magnify and escalate the political difference between his father and the former governor.
He was reacting to press statements from some of Orji’s aides and Ibeku political stakeholders who had tongue -lashed Apugo over his remarks against the former governor.
The stakeholders had spoken on the heels of earlier media remarks by the member, APC national caucus against Orji who he accused of looting while holding sway as Abia governor.
While some eminent Ibeku personalities including former and serving top government officials, have threatened to expose the APC Board of Trustee ( BoT) member for disparaging Senator Orji who they described as “Ibeku son of inestimable value”, some aides of the former governor dismissed Apugo as a man with many controversies even in his home.
But worried about the ugly development, Victor who said his father had no issues with his children contrary to claims by the ex -governor’s aides, advised the “third parties to rather “address issues and not attack persons”.
The PDP chieftain noted that though his father and some of his children belong to different political parties , it did not in anyway translate into having any issues with him “nor give anybody the license to insult him.”
He also refuted claims by Orji’s aides that Apugo disowned his children insisting that at no time did their father disown them.
His words :” Nobody should insult my father. That some of us don’t belong to the same political party with him does not mean we are quarrelling.
“Politics is all about ideologies and if we don’t share the same ideologies we owe nobody any apologies or explanations.
” If my father has disowned us as they claimed why were we part and parcel of the palliatives he shared during the covid -19 lockdown. We were in every community in Ibeku and other communities in Umuahia distributing the items worth over N250 million which we jointly donated with our father”.
He descended on the stakeholders, accusing them of “fishing in troubled waters to enrich their pockets”.
Victor tasked the stakeholders to rather broker peace between his father and Senator Orji who he said had both paid their dues.
” The people who signed the purported communique have no mandate to speak for Ibeku people. These are sychophants and spent forces who no longer have any political value.
“How many of them can win election in their booths? Instead of trying to make peace between the two illustrious sons of Ibeku they are rather fanning the embers of war because of their pockets “.
“These are just political jobbers looking for opportunity to exploit. How many of these expired forces were able to give out a cup of rice or garri to the indigent people in Ibeku during the covid -19 pandemic?
” Most of these recycled political jobbers have held juicy political positions in the past but can they mention anyone they established other than building personal mansions? Ibeku youths are wiser now, we won’t give them any opportunity to decide our fate again.
” I ‘m not standing for anybody; all we need is peace in our land. Both Price B.B Apugo and TA Orji are our sons and should be celebrated.
” My position is that the signatories to the so-called communique have already taken sides because of political appointments instead of calling for peace. As such, I cannot address them as eminent personalities in Ibeku because they have disappointed Ibeku people.
“Instead of needles war, we shall rather be concerned with how to develop Ibeku land and empower our youths because posterity will judge everybody.
“Now is the time to make peace in Ibeku land for the good of all but the peace we are looking for can’t come from these double -faced men”.
The former ASEPA boss warned that nobody should castigate his father again who he said “has put Ibeku on the national map despite the fact he has nevee held any public office “.
“Apugo has never held any public office but since 1983, Nigerias seeking political office have been coming to consult with him. He pulled Ibrahim Babangida to Ibeku land. Bamanga Tukur, Adamu Ciroma, Bashir Tofa, all came to consult with him.
” My father played key role in the emergence of Evans Enwerem, Ogbonnaya Onu and others who have governed old Imo and Abia States.”
He also refuted claims that his father sold some plots of land belonging to the Nigeria Railway Corporation, citing a publication in the SUN newspaper of Friday, May 26, 2017 which reported the judgment in favour of his father.
According to the publication, the Federal Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, Imo State had struck out the charges against Apugo and a judgment of Umuahia High Court for lack of proof, a judgment that was already reported in the 2017 Law Report marked APUGO Vs FRN (2017) LPELR-41643(CA).
He also brandished a letter by the Railway Property Management Company Ltd, with reference number, RPC/EZ/UM/VOL.1-26, and dated December 20, 2016, in which the corporation clarified that the six plots of land in contention were not part of Railway land.
The letter signed by the Enugu Zonal Manager of RPMC, Mr C. R Iwuchukwu, was addressed to Apugo’s lawyer, O. O Amuzie & Associates.
The letter sighted by our correspondent read in part :”We have sighted Umuahia Station Plan of the Nigerian Railway Corporation and the Survey plan provided by your client, Prince Benedict Benjamin Apugo with plan no. UDI /AB/LO/02/2015 (exbit D) as attached, and wish to agree with your position that the plots in contention do not fall into Railway land “.
He further dismissed as unfounded, allegations that his father was among failed contractors, challenging the accusers to provide evidence.
