By Chinedu Emeruwa Chinedu
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and former Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development, Dr Uche Sampson Ogah, has adduced the reason he did not support Abia state Governorship candidate of the APC, Mr Ikechi Emenike, during the just-concluded 2023 general elections in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Speaking on Wednesday, against the backdrops of a recent purported suspension slammed on him and other notable Abia party leaders by Kingsley Ononogbu-led factional leadership of the APC, Ogah maintained he did not support Emenike at the concluded election because the latter didn’t come to contest election, but was in Abia 2023 governorship race for selfish personal aggrandisement.
He frowned at emenike’s inability to deliver his local electoral ward in Umuahia north local government area of Abia state for APC during the recently-concluded presidential election in Abia state, insisting the Abia APC gubernatorial candidate never campaigned for Senator Tinubu, nor himself and added that Emenike had lost electoral value and cannot command followership among people of the state.
Ogah who was also a former Abia Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, reiterated that Ikechi Emenike never campaigned to rally support for the presidential bid of Senator Bola Tinubu under the platform of the governing party and all other candidates of the party anywhere in Abia state before the conduct of the elections.
According to the ex-minister, “Ikechi Emenike was not a candidate because he didn’t come to contest election. He cannot win his polling unit.
“In 2019, i told Abians that “if you cannot vote for Buhari, don’t vote for me. I stood and campaigned for Buhari”.
“Did Ikechi campaign for Bola Tinubu for one day?. Did he ever mention names of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu anywhere in Abia state,” Ogah queried.
He said “we’re sending a letter to the new President-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and inform him that how much Ikechi Emenike received from the ruling and outgoing Government of the Peoples Democratic Party to destroy the APC in Abia”.
Asked further to speak on the rationale behind his endorsement of Abia gubernatorial candidate of the labour
party(LP), Alex Otti, before the conclusion of the keenly-contested march 18 governorship election held in the state by INEC, Dr Ogah hinted that his supported Otti because he was only candidate i saw that had the needed capacity and structure to deliver Abia state.
His words: “If i supported my brother, yes i did. I also supported Dr Alex Otti. I’m not hiding it because i wanted to show those in Emenike’s camp that they have no electoral value.
“I supported Otti because he was the only candidate i saw that had the capacity and structure to deliver Abia.
“So, i told my political structure, Abia Rejoice to go ahead and support him. He is the candidate that can take care of the state”.
Recall that Alex Otti, an ex-bank chief and the Governorship flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP) in Abia State, emerged as the new Governor-elect of the state and winner of the concluded March 18th 2023, gubernatorial election.
He polled a total of 175, 467 votes cast to beat his closest rival and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Okey Ahiwe, who scored 88,529 votes to come second in the elections.
The flagbearer of the Young Progressive Party(YPP), Enyinnaya Nwafor came a distant third with 28,972 votes while Mr Ikechi Emenike, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC), scored a total of 24,091 votes to gain a third place.
Meanwhile, the Abia State candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Ikechi Emenike has faulted the just-conducted governorship and House of Assembly elections in Abia State.
He claimed that the concluded electoral process by the nation’s electoral commission was marred by mutilation and falsification of election results and harassment of party agents and eligible voters at various polling centres and units during the polls.
