A meeting of South East leaders held in Abuja to decide on who gets the ministerial slot allocated to Enugu State in the incoming administration of General Muhammadu Buhari, has ended in the Enugu State governorship candidate on the All Progressives Congress (APC), Okey Ezea, receiving a slap from the party’s National Vice Chairman, South East, Emma Eneukwu.

It was learnt that the duo clashed before the leaders after an argument ensued over what zone in Enugu should fill the ministerial slot.

The meeting, which was chaired by Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and held at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge, had in attendance Senator Chris Ngige, Senator Osita Izunaso, Gen. Okoloagu and a host of others.

Ezea, who on Friday confirmed this to journalists through a text message, said Eneukwu slapped him before everybody at the meeting simply because he made a case for the Nsukka people of Enugu State.

He said he had argued that since 1999, the Nsukka zone had not produced a minister, but that Eneukwu, who wanted the slot for himself, got provoked.

He said Eneukwu is from Udi in Enugu West Senatorial Zone which had often benefited from political offices.

His text message read: “Emma Eneukwu slapped me today because I told South East leaders that Nsukka has not been minister since 1999. He did this before Rochas, Ngige, Izunaso, J. O. J, Gen. Eze, Ucha etc.

“I just said the truth and requested justice and equity in the affairs of our party and Enugu State. Emma (Eneukwu) wants to be minister by violence. Emma from Udi LGA which has minister since 2007 including the incumbent, Chinedu Nebo. We must fight injustice and oppression. APC is change.”