The Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has said no ‘serious’ campaign is going on by the party in Enugu State.

He said this while answering questions in Enugu from journalists about his suspension by the APC. Mr Okechukwu sent his response to PREMIUM TIMES by email.

“Help me to inform Comrade Oshiohmole that there is no vigorous campaign going on at Enugu by Senator Ayogu Eze,” he said.

Mr Eze is the governorship candidate of the APC in Enugu.

Mr Okechukwu was recently suspended alongside two APC governors and a minister for alleged anti-party activities. In the case of Mr Okechukwu, he was accused of working against the interest of the APC in Enugu since he lost at the primaries.

He lost the Enugu West senatorial ticket to Juliet Ibekaku, the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Justice Reform.

Mrs Ibekaku, however, the main election to Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP, the governing party in the state. Mr Okechukwu attributed the loss to lack of vigorous campaign saying she depended on “federal might” to help her win.

“Juliet Ibekaku lost the senatorial seat he (Oshiomhole) allocated to her. He made me a scapegoat. Little did Comrade agree that Juliet is a dark horse, and to compound matters, did not campaign vigorously.

“She hoped to use federal might to write results, not reckoning with the ubiquitous card reader? This assumption made her to lose in Egede her ward and in the 80 wards of Enugu West Senatorial District.”

The party in its statement said the suspended party members were responsible for their candidate’s poor performance in the presidential and National Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, Mr Okechukwu said Mr Oshiomhole needs to be aware of the state of things in the state “before he accuses me again if the party fails”.

“This information is important because he may accuse me unduly, if APC loses,” he said.