The Mayor of Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State, Mr. Newman Azu, on Monday, reacted to the retraction of the suspension of some Leaders by the Executive Committee of the party in the local government area.
The Ukwa West LP Chairman, Elder I. O. Dike, had in a press release stated that the suspension of the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna, Mayor of Ukwa West, Mr. Newman Azu and Mr. Felix Ulelu by the Executive Committee of the Ukwa West Local Government chapter of the LP had been retracted, in compliance with the directive of the Abia State Working Committee of the party.
It should be recalled that the Publicity Secretary of the Ukwa West LP, Prince M. Nwala, had announced the decision to suspend some party members during an enlarged Stakeholders meeting which held on June 18, 2024.
In a statement dated July 1, 2024, Azu said:
“First and foremost, I commend the leadership of our party at the State level for the directive given to Elder I. O. Dike, the Labour Party Chairman of Ukwa West to retract the purported suspension. The retraction of the purported suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna, Felix Ulelu and myself, who are critical leaders in the Labour Party in Ukwa West, can best be described as what is usually experienced when toddlers begin to learn how to walk.
“It was laughable that a party Chairman, who should be focused on building a strong and virile party, would embark on a trajectory that could only lead to disunity and factionalisation of the party, just because of the desperation to satisfy a select few members.
“I have refused to be distracted from my commitment towards ensuring that LP in my local government continues to grow from strength to strengthen, and I will not allow any person or group of persons to turn the party into a laughing stock.
“The sad developments in the last one month in the party will be put behind me, as they were deliberately calculated to dent all my hard work in both the party and the local government area.”
The Mayor, who said he was determined to complement the efforts of the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti to bring about infrastructural development in the State, praised the maturity and doggedness of the Commissioner for Environment in handling issues concerning the welfare and upliftment of the party in Ukwa West.
He called on all party members to realise that they had much work to do to make LP the number one in the local government area.
The LP ukwa west should emulate the people of ukwa East , see how quite they’re, looking forward to what 2027 will bring forth, ukwa west are here killing there selves unnecessarily with vision, focus about what tomorrow will be. Who does this to ukwa west.