The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abia State chapter has condemned what it termed misleading and ill-intentioned information pushed into the media space with the purpose of causing confusion in our Party. The Party was reacting to a story published in the Daily Sun newspaper of Thursday, December 22, 2022 entitled “Abia APC Reaffirms Loyalty to Kalu”.
In a press release made available to the media, the Party stated that “We are aware that this mischievous headline emanated from a press statement issued by the state publicity secretary of our Party, Hon Okey Ezeala, which was obviously doctored and twisted out of context to achieve a dubious political motive”.
According to the release signed by Obinna Atuonwu, the State Organising Secretary of the Party, “The leadership of Abia APC is not in dispute and so the issue of reaffirming loyalty to anybody does not arise. Our Party in Abia has a well defined leadership structure with our Governorship Candidate, High Chief Ikechi Emenike as Leader and Dr Kingsley Ononogbu as Chairman of Party. So, party members know how loyalty flows in the party”.
“The Abia APC leadership is also aware of media reports that a group of party members from Abia North zone had addressed a press conference in Umuahia and expressed their dissatisfaction and frustration with Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, whom they accused of “anti-party activities”. It is within the rights of such members to call out any party member if they felt such a person is working at cross purposes with the party’s goal of rescuing and developing Abia(RADA). But in doing so the group should not take any action that could boomerang and hurt our Party.
“To this end, the leadership of APC in Abia State, hereby, totally dissociates the Party from any decision or arrangement purported to have been made in order to adopt the senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Abia North, Mao Ohuabunwa. There’s no reason whatsoever for our Party members in Abia North to give their votes to a candidate of the ruling party that has devastated God’s Own State over the past two decades.
“We therefore appeal to the people behind this extreme reaction over a perceived wrong by a highly placed party member to retrace their steps and rescind the decision to give votes to Mao Ohuabunwa.The Party leadership will neither tolerate nor condone such anti-party behaviour. As the saying goes, two wrongs don’t make a right.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the State Party leadership is quite aware of the anti-party activities being perpetrated by some members. At the appropriate time the leadership of our Party will sanction those moles in accordance with laid down rules and regulations of APC.
In conclusion, the Party urged its members to remain focused on the task before them which is to deliver their candidates in the 2023 general election and ultimately take control of Abia State.