A member of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Chukwuma Martins Ekwueme, has denied reports alleging that he endorsed Barrister Chijioke Ezugwu for a second term as Executive Chairman of Uzo-Uwani Local Government Council.
Ekwueme was reportedly listed among political leaders who endorsed Ezugwu at a stakeholders’ meeting held on Wednesday at Ikenga Hotel, Nsukka, ahead of the forthcoming APC ward and local government congresses.
In a strongly worded public notice, the lawmaker described the alleged endorsement as false and politically motivated. He stated that his attention was drawn to social media reports claiming he was part of the endorsement, insisting that the information should be disregarded as baseless and treated as a conspiracy theory.
Clarifying his presence at the meeting, Ekwueme explained that stakeholders from Uzo-Uwani LGA were invited to deliberate on the modalities for the upcoming APC ward and local government congresses. According to him, the meeting was convened by the council chairman strictly for a briefing on party congress arrangements.
He, however, alleged that unknown individuals were brought in to stage an endorsement in their presence without prior knowledge of the stakeholders. Describing the development as troubling and an act of desperation, Ekwueme distanced himself from any move capable of causing political tension in the state.
To support his claim, he reproduced the original invitation sent to him, which indicated that the meeting was themed around the APC ward and local government congress and was signed by Hon. Kingsley Tochukwu Ani, APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, Uzo-Uwani LGA.
The lawmaker warned against deliberate misinformation that could overheat the political atmosphere in Enugu State and urged the public to treat any information from the meeting—aside from discussions on party congress modalities—as false.
Ekwueme reiterated that he neither endorsed nor participated in any endorsement of Barrister Ezugwu’s second-term ambition.
