By Chijindu Emeruwa
Hundreds of members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, belonging to the political structure of the candidate for the Saturday march 18th 2023 governorship and state house of assembly elections in Abia state, Mr Ikechi Emenike, have dumped the main party’s flagbearer and aligned with the visions of former minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah.
They pledged their untradeable loyalty and unwavering support to the state leadership of the APC chaired by Chief Goldie Wabara.
The party members from Ikechi Emenike’s camp in Abia chapter of the APC, made their latest political alignment known after a well-attended and concluded parley with principal officers of Abia Rejoice Movement (ARM).
The Abia Rejoice Movement is the political structure of the ex-Nigerian minister and a one-time main Abia Gubernatorial standard-bearer of the APC, Dr Uchechukwu Ogah.
The hundreds of members who disclosed their new alignments with Dr Ogah’s political structure (ARM) comprised core loyalists, political associates, party faithfuls friends and teeming supporters from 184 electoral wards of the seventeen(17) local government areas in Abia state.
It was gathered that the latest alignment by loyalists and faithfuls from Ikechi Emenike’s camp followed the recent poor performances recorded by the All Progressives Congress in Abia at the concluded presidential and national assembly elections held across many other states in the federation by the Independent National Electoral Commission on 25th of February 2023.
Earlier while speaking during the well-attended meeting with principal officers of Abia Rejoice Movement founded by ex-minister, the hundreds of members from political camp of Abia 2023 APC Governorship candidate led by Dr Emmanuel Ndukwe, hinged on their recent alignment and declaration of loyalty to Dr Uche Sanpson Ogah, to the latter’s enormous and uncommon capacity demonstrated in public service as then minister of state for mines and steel development under the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
They also hinted Dr Ogah’s immense contributions and strides in the economic development of Abia state, southeast region and the country in private sector-driven business investments and industrialization.
They pledged to work vigorously towards the actualization of the governorship candidacy of Dr Uche Ogah under the platform of the governing All Progressives Congress or in any other political party in future elections, and his emergence as Governor of Abia state
The members regretted diminishing popularity of the party in Abia state as seen in the recently-conducted presidential and national assembly elections by INEC in the state.
They further cited lack of demonstration of capacity and ability by the APC candidate in the forthcoming gubernatorial poll in the state, Mr Ikechi Emenike as cause of the abysmal and woeful failure of the party to win in Abia State at the concluded presidential and national legislative seats elections.
The members from Ikechi Emenike camp in Abia chapter of the All Progressives Congress also disclosed they had thoroughly observed and affirmed that their former principal and maverick party stalwart lacked leadership acumen and true democratic credentials to mantle the saddle of Abia leadership as Governor, and preside the state’s affairs and as well, manage her common resources.
According to them, “Emenike has no electoral value to deliver Abia to APC in the coming governorship election, because of Abia people’s continued rejection of his gubernatorial candidacy under different political platforms up till current sojourn in All Progressives Congress.
“There’s no gainsaying the fact that Mr Ikechi Emenike’s current gubernatorial candidature under APC, has drove out huge population of party members and supporters to other parties. And APC members who left on that ground have been vindicated following the poor outing by the party, and the obvious failure by Mr Ikechi Emenike to deliver APC and presidential candidate of the party, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu in his polling booth and unit in Ohuhu clan in Umuahia North LGA of Abia state, during the recently-held presidential elections in Abia state. This among others have justified the widely-held views that Emenike do not possess the requisite capacity to win any election. And he has equally lost political relevance in Abia power equation
While further lamenting that Emenike’s governorship candidacy on the platform of the Progressive party has done severe damages in party’s genuine desire and positive efforts to clinch Abia Gubernatorial seat and form next government in Abia, the former political loyalists regretted did the national leadership of the party heed to loud voice against fielding the immediate past Pro-chancellor and the chairman Governing Board Council of University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Enugu state, Mr Ikechi Emenike as APC Governorship candidate in Abia state, the party wouldn’t have beaten mercilessly at the just conducted presidential and National assembly polls in Abia.
Their words: Had it been the leadership of the governing APC fielded Dr Uche Sanpson Ogah as party’s main flagbearer in Abia, APC would have coasted to victory or recorded a feat and milestones by securing a win in the state for Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, and majority of national assembly seats in the just concluded election which took place 25th of last month.
“We, members of Ikechi Emenike’s political structure or camp in Abia chapter of the APC hereby denounce our fellowership and membership of the structure. We have agreed and formalized to pitch tent with Dr Uche Sampson Ogah’s political structure (Abia Rejoice Movement) without fear of contradiction, or financial inducement and political influence and manipulation.
“We wouldn’t conclude without using this great medium to apologize to Dr Uche Sampson Ogah for our roles in abetting illegalities meted to him by the party aftermaths of the concluded 2022 gubernatorial primary election conducted in Abia state. We regret the monumental damages it had caused on sincere efforts by all patriotic and loyal party members in Abia to achieve electoral succeseses in past and present elections in Abia state and Nigeria at large”.
