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By Chijindu Emeruwa.
The Abia state Publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Offor Okorie has lashed out at the factional Abia party leader, Ikechi Emenike over his recent activities despite court judgement sacking him as the Governorship Candidate of the APC.
A federal high court presided by Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako in Abuja had in November 11th 2022 while delivering her verdict in the lawsuit sacked Emenike and affirmed the immediate past Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development Dr Uche Sampson Ogah as the authentic All Progressives Congress Gubernatorial candidate in Abia state for the forthcoming 2023 general elections in the country.
DAILY POST had ealier reported that the court held “that the indirect primary election which produced Emenike was in total disobedience to a letter forwarded by the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress to INEC that it would adopt a direct mode primary election in the state.
The court also held it was alien how APC notified INEC of its decision to adopt the direct primary mode in the state and abandoned it by according recognition to a candidate, Emenike who emerged from a purported indirect primary, saying such is invalid.
The court judge further held that the direct primary election of May 26th and 27th May 2022, which produced Ogah, a former Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development was the only valid governorship primary election conducted by APC in Abia and monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission, report of which was endorsed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner in charge of Abia State.
Also recall that the outcome of the conducted parallel gubernatorial primary election by the leadership of the party resulted to the emergence of two candidates for the All Progressives Congress in Abia state.
On December 1st, a factional leadership of the All Progressives Congress in Abia state had staged a purported inauguration of 1740 members for Abia APC Governorship Campaign council for the factional Governorship candidate, Emenike.
However, the State Publicity secretary of APC, Offor Okorie, while earlier criticizing the recent actions of the factional party leader which contained in a statement made available to journalists in Umuahia on Saturday, stated unequivocally that party leadership has not constituted nor inaugurated members of the party’s Governorship campaign council as the party shall meet and communicate with critical stakeholders and teeming members and supporters of the party as soon as formalities are concluded for the formal composition of the council.
The party spokesman clarified that self-styled members of the purported campaign council are not card-carrying members of the APC in the state and frowned in strong terms the latest contempt of court and political antics of deceit being played out by the factional leader, Ikechi Emenike and co-travellers in his inordinate ambition to become governor of Abia state which has continuously elude them and the latest antics and anti party activities by the latter despite existing court verdict which affirmed Uche Ogah as the authentic APC Gubernatorial standard-bearer in the state.
He queried, “who are the 1740 people he inaugurated as his campaign council?
“Where did he gathered them, and where did the 1740 people gathered during his fake inauguration?
Okorie claimed the factional party chieftain compiled non existing names to form a fraudulent campaign council tilted at luring the general public into deceit as being his normal characteristic, having being aware he lacked the requisite capacity to command fellowership and also into attracting bulk votes for the APC to win the March 2023 Governorship election in Abia state.
According to him in words, “what Ikechi Emenike did was to compile non existing names to form a fraudulent campaign council to deceive the public in his normal way, knowing too well that he doesn’t have fellowership in Abia. And the more reason he absconded from the directive of the national working committee of the All Progressives Congress to participate in the approved direct governorship primary elections in the state which took place in Umuahia, the state capital on 26th of May 2022.
Continuing, Okorie maintained that Emenike lacked the basic democratic credentials and capacity, and as well the needed electoral values in Abia state as these ugly human attributes of the Abia party stalwart necessitated his complete rejection at the concluded party gubernatorial primary election by prospective and statutory party members cum delegates, warning the factional state APC leader to desist from impersonation and parading as the main gubernatorial ticket-bearer of the APC, vowing to send Emenike to prison should he continues to masquerades as candidate of the party for the march next year’s Governorship election in the state
His words: “Chief Emenike does not have election value in Abia. That is why he can never be APC flag-bearer in Abia. The leadership of the party in Abia state warn Emenike to stop parading himself as the party candidate. He will be made to face the law of the land and ensure he is sent to prison for impersonation and other related intra party offences if he continue with these exhibition of such undemocratic and anti-party styles of Emenike’s politics”.
