APC leaders, members, pledges loyalty to Acho Obioma’s leadership, vows to takeover Abia come 2023
By Chijindu Emeruwa
Frontline governorship aspirant for the upcoming primaries of All Progressive Congress, APC, in the upcoming 2023 general elections, leaders and members of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Abia State chapter, have affirmed their unshaken support and loyalty to the newly inaugurated Abia Executive Committee of the party led by a former House of Representatives, Hon Acho Obioma as State Chairman.
The Abia APC leaders made the affirmation while addressing a mammoth crowd of party members and supporters during an enlarged stakeholders meeting of the party held at the State party Secretariat, Umuahia, during the weekend.
Speaking during the event, a former member of the Abia State and immediate past State Chairman of APC, Hon Donatus Nwankpa, lauded the process that fostered the emergence of Obioma as State party chairman, stating in clear terms that APC is intact and united, as the party has no faction in the state.
Nwankpa accounted during his reign as Abia chairman of the All Progressive Congress which includes unmerited litigations, and the alleged invasion of State Secretariat of the party by sponsored hoodlums during the build-up to the last 2019 elections, charging the newly inaugurated Abia State Executive Committee of APC to be resolute and remain good ambassadors of the party in their various wards and local government chapters.
According to him, “I urge you to forget who owns the party, don’t be afraid because our constitution is very clear, our constitution states that it’s the ward executives that has the right to conduct ward congress and who were the ward executive’s they are those who are caretaker committee members recognize by the law and it’s in the wards that the party is domiciled in.
Continuing, the former lawmaker, “after the wards what remains in the Local Government and state are delegates which are products of the wards without this, every other thing is nonsense. I have defeated those on the other side more than once, so there’s no need to fear because come rain come sunshine Chomen is the father of APC in Abia state”.
Nwankpa, however, admonished members and supporters of the All Progressive Congress to focus on changing the government in Abia state by 2023.
On his part, the Secretary of the APC in Abia State and renowned luminary, Perfect Okorie, said that it was a privilege to be associated with Hon Acho Obioma-led State Executive Committee of the party in the state and appreciated the leaders for demonstrating unwavering commitment in the development of the governing party in Nigeria.
In his words, “Sometimes, I say God why did you bless me excessively to have leaders like our leaders, all of us here are blessed to have leaders that make sure your interest is protected you should be happy, because, if you are there or not they all are advocating and insisting that your interest is protected and that our interest is the interest of the entire Abia, to ensure that we deliver the state from this bondage we have found ourselves for decades”.
Also appraising the overwhelming gains of the APC since its formation in Abia, in his remarks, the former Abia State representative at the Federal Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission and leader of the State Stakeholders Caucus, Senator Chris Adighije, expressed ethusausim in aligning with the new leadership under the Chairmanship of Acho Obioma in the state.
The ex-member of the National Assembly also frowned at the undemocratic practices, particularly, the recent defection to other political parties by members in the state, and further charged the party men and women to remain in the party, informing them that if they leave they will come back and will join the queue from behind.
Words, “You have seen that am old, so, there is no way I will mislead you, I’m here to give you a message of hope to go home with. God has given us APC Abia state, and we will take over the government next year, come 2023.
“I’m too old to stand here and be calling names, what I want to tell you is that I was in Abuja and I saw the way things went, they tried destroying the party, they tried in Enugu state, they tried in Delta state, they tried in all the states but God did not allow them.
Continuing, Senator Adighije added, “what we are waiting for is the convention, after the convention, we will have new leaders for the party, listen to me very careful, at my age, I have been in politics for a long time and the reason why am alive today is because of my truthfulness, I don’t deceive my people. If APC is not good, I won’t allow you people to be here. I can assure you that the next governor of Abia State will come from APC”.
In their separate submissions, while speaking during the enlarged party Stakeholders meeting in Umuahia, 2023 gubernatorial hopeful on the platform of the All Progressive Congress and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Etigwe Uwa, and the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), Dr Chidia Maduekwe, reiterated their undeterred commitment to greater development of the progressive party in Abia state, urging party faithful to remain steadfast and resolute despite slight challenges facing the party in the state.
According to them, “APC has recorded tremendous gains on its determination and quest to enthrone people’s oriented leadership in the state come 2023 and as well as. in future elections. We must remain resolute and work collectively to advance the interest of the people and the party. And to achieve that, we must bury our individual and personal interests too to bring the desired changes that the teeming majority of Abia populaces are yearning for.
“We strongly believe that the recent undemocratic behaviours of few members caN not affect the electoral and political fortunes of the party in Abia state, as the APC in Abia has men and women of substances that have shown capacities and competence install socio-economic and Infrastructural changes in all facets of the state”.
Assuring the leaders and members of the party of inclusive Leadership, the newly inaugurated Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), in Abia State, Hon Acho Obioma represented by his Deputy, promised to provide a level playing ground to all members who have shown interest to vie for elective political offices on the platform of the party.
They also assured to conduct credible and transparent primaries that are in line with the party electoral guidelines and as well as the nation’s electoral law, expressing optimism that the governing APC in Nigeria will wrest power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state as Abia is lagging, especially in the area of Infrastructure duo lack of vision and well-defined templates to enhance and deepen her development.
