The Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has begun purging its ranks of perceived saboteurs, with former Senator Chukwuka Utazi becoming the first high-profile casualty. The party’s disciplinary committee in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area confirmed Utazi’s suspension Friday, barely twelve months after his much-publicized defection from the Peoples Democratic Party.
Local party officials from Nkpologwu ward and Uzo-Uwani council submitted a damning petition accusing the two-term senator of maintaining covert allegiance to his former party. Evidence presented included Utazi’s alleged participation in PDP zonal meetings and public endorsement of Governor Peter Mbah’s reelection bid – actions considered treasonous by APC leadership. The suspension letter, jointly signed by ward and council executives, further cited multiple media interviews where the lawmaker reportedly disparaged his new party’s state leadership.
This disciplinary action exposes deepening fractures within Enugu APC as it struggles to reconcile star defectors with its original membership base. Utazi’s high-profile March 2024 crossover – justified as necessary for actualizing Igbo presidential ambitions – now appears to have been viewed with suspicion from inception. Party insiders suggest the move signals Chairman Ugochukwu Agballah’s determination to enforce discipline ahead of 2027 elections, even at the cost of sacrificing prominent converts.
