The leadership of the Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that a former minister of state for mines and steel development, Mr. Uche Ogah has no legitimate claim to the governorship ticket of the party.
The party leaders explained their stance in a statement issued at the weekend in Umuahia, signed by the trio of state chairman, Dr Kingsley Ononogbu, state secretary, Hon Chidi Avajah, and publicity secretary, Deacon Obinna Atuonwu
Abia APC leadership distanced the party from Ogah, saying that he has no cause to rejoice over the judgment delivered in his favour by an Abuja High Court.
Justice Binta Nyako had in the judgement delivered on November 11, 2022 accorded validity to a primary election conducted by Ogah as against the one conducted by the APC national leadership from which High Chief Ikechi Emenike emerged as the party’s governorship candidate.
But the Abia APC leaders expressed dismay that “one Uche Ogah and his dwindling number of associates have been living in fool’s paradise and feasting on the Court judgement that awarded him a phoney victory”.
“When Ogah and his followers wake up from their slumber, they will realise that they have been sold a dummy which will not stand further judicial scrutiny,” the party leaders said.
The party leaders said that the need for them to make clarifications “has become necessary due to misinformation and disinformation going on within sections of the media space thereby painting a wrong picture of the true situation.
According to them, the judgment delivered by Justice Binta Nyako was “a miscarriage of justice to the effect that a meddlesome interloper should be candidate of a party, mainly based on INEC report”.
“The judge forgot to consider that the same INEC report stated they(electoral body) also monitored the primary election that produced High Chief Ikechi Emenike as the governorship candidate of the party.
“More worrisome is that the trial judge was blind to the fact that Uche Ogah’s so-called primary was not conducted by the party – indeed, no primary election produced him,” the statement said.
The party leaders further clarified that “APC conducted only one gubernatorial primary election in Abia”, adding that “all the primary election committee members confirmed this through affidavits and counter affidavits with no dissension”.
The Abia APC leadership affirmed that “the party is solidly behind High Chief Ikechi Emenike and we are continuing our mobilisation efforts (and) remain committed to our 2023 mission”.
“We will not allow Uche Ogah’s distractions to truncate APC’s determination to Rescue and Develop Abia State,” the Abia APC leadership vowed.