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By Chijindu Emeruwa
Hon Maduakolam Adighibe, All Progressives Congress house of Assembly candidate for Umuahia central constituency seat in Abia state for the march 11th main election, on Friday, vowed no amount of distractions will deter him from emerging victorious in the forthcoming election in the state.
He was reacting on Friday, against the backdrops of the recent judgement of a federal high court in Abuja which nullified indirect primary election that saw his emergence and 23 others as house of Assembly candidate of the APC for the upcoming elections across the states in Nigeria federation.
Recall that a federal high court in Abuja had on 20th of January, 2023 ordered the leadership of the All Progressives Congress to replace Kenneth Adighibe’s name and forward names and details of Mr Ugona Irokansi who purported emerged through parallel primary election as state house of assembly candidate of the party to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, Honorable Adighibe, while reacting during an interview with cross section of journalists in Umuahia, on Friday, laughed off the verdict of the court of first instance and insisted that Irokansi was never an aspirant, and also did not participate indirect primaries approved by the APC national leadership for adoption in conduct of the concluded state house of assembly primary election held in Abia state on May 2022.
He maintained that he remains the authentic and duly elected APC house of assembly candidate for Umuahia central state constituency seat for the coming election fixed for march 11, 2023 by the Nigeria electoral commission.
According to the foremost Abia-born accountant, “this is just a political gimmick designed by the serial election loser and his godfathers to distract me and curry undeserved trophy and sympathy from the court.
“It’s on record that Ugona Iroakazii was never an aspirant for the state house of assembly seat ticket of the APC for Umuahia central constituency. He did not participate in the well concluded primary election conducted the leadership of our great party, the APC.
“As am talking to you now, go to INEC office in Umuahia and Abuja headquarters, you will see in the lists of names of candidates of political parties that successfully emerged through party primaries, that my names, Kenneth Maduakolam Adighibe is still in INEC lists as duly elected candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Abia state house of assembly seat for Umuahia central constituency in the list.
Adighibe advised Irokansi to stop crying more than the bereaved as he was never aspirant during the conducted party primary election as affirmed by the APC leadership and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“Even with this purported judgment he is parading with, i’m still the APC ticket-bearer candidate of APC for Umuahia central constituency and which our appeal against the kangaroo judgement of the high court had already entered by 24 of us that were democratically emerged from a concluded primary elections.
“Iroakazi’s current resort in mauruding court premises seeking judicial declaratory order concerning Abia gubernatorial seat ticket of APC, is intended to assume functions of a lawmaker through backdoors. Another one is on a plan to demoralize and destabilize my teeming large population of his supporters including our great party that cut across the electoral wards that formed the Umuahia central constituency, and political party board.
“Appeal had ready be entered by 24 of us who are state house of candidates. And we have strong believe and implicit confidence in Nigerian judiciary in delivering justice to a common man. Summarily, all this shenanigans by Iroakazi is just to distract to his personal selfish personal aggrandisement”.
Asked further to speak on his chance to win the march 11th 2023 state house of assembly election in Abia state by the Independent National Electoral Commission, Adighije, a knight of St. Christopher of the Anglican Communion, expressed optimism in winning the fast-approaching main elections and also revealed he has currently toured most nooks and crannies of Umuahia central, and received overwhelming supports and endorsement from thousands of people for the election fixed to hold march 11th.
The frontline APC chieftain described his major opponents for Abia state 2023 assembly race as political lightweights who lacked the electoral value, needed capacity, requisite competence and expertise to effect good Governance and quality representation when entrusted with people’s mandate to represent Umuahia central state constituency in Abia state house of assembly.
“I don’t see any of these candidates as my march, and i have that confidence that come march 11, i will be declared the winner of the forthcoming state house of assembly election for Umuahia central constituency seat. And i want to reassure my constituents of providing them effective and responsive representation and leadership in order to enhance their welfare and engender genuine development in every local wards of the Umuahia central state constituency when supported and vote in as lawmaker and member of the Abia state house of assembly in the coming election in the state and many others states in Nigeria federation.
