Edo Decides: NNPP Members Give State Chairman, Uwangue Ultimatum To Release Party Agents’ Tags
By Simeon OSAJIE
In less than 24 hours to Edo State governorship election, members of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) today morning gave ultimatum to the state chairman of the party, Mr. Fred Uwangue to release the party electoral agents’ tags in his possession.
In a peaceful protest in some streets within Benin City, the state capital with different inscription like “Fred Uwangue, We Are Not For Sell”, “Enough Is Enough State Chairman”, “Put An End To Fred Uwangue Selling Selling”, etc. quarried the rationale behind the seizure of the materials made for agents of the party as representatives across various voting centres in the state.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, the Secretary, Azemhe Azena Campaign Council, Hon. Kingsley Akhibi said, “We are protesting this morning because of the oppression currently experienced in the hand of our state party chairman, Fred Uwangue and some few persons thinking it’s going to be business as usual.
“The Chairman of the party, Fred Uwangue went and pick the party materials (tags) from the designated location. At first, over four hundred was missing, he later missed them with other parties.
“He collected the polling units tags and kept them to himself without the knowledge of our principal, the governorship candidate of NNPP Dr. Azemhe Azena. The money our national body brought to pay the party agents, he collected Fifteen Million Naira from the money.
“We are giving him few hours to release the party tags and other materials. I also noticed that, the Party Logo on the tags has been changed without our notice,” he said.
Corroborating Hon. Akhibi stand, the NNPP Chairman Ologbo Ward 10, Ikpoba Okha LGA, Mr. John Gospel, said the party national body should call Fred Uwangue to order before is too late.
Reacting via a telephone, the party state chairman of the party, Fred Uwangue whose phone was answered by his personal aide, said, “I am reacting on behalf of the chairman because the chairman in a crucial meeting right now. The party is peaceful. We don’t have any issue in the party. By the way, which protest, who is protesting? We are not protesting and we are not aware of any protest. We are in serious meeting right now. We can afford to listen to distractors right now.”
