Dan Maduagwu Umuahia

…”They are not genuine members”, says LP chieftain

About 3,200 members of the Labour Party (LP) have joined the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Abia State, two days to the guber and House of Assembly elections. The defections took place in Obingwa LGA and was led by Hon Maduka Akpulonu, the former Director-General of Chinedu Onyeizu Campaign Organization. The defectors who spoke through their leader, Akpulonu, said they were returning to the PDP where they originally belonged. The new PDP members who promised to work for the victory of Okey Ahaiwe, PDP guber candidate and House of Assembly candidates on March 18, claimed that their days in LP were not eventful, hence their detour to PDP.

Some of the former PDP members like Mathew Okoronkwo, Celine Aghabie among others said their only interest in the LP was to vote for Mr Peter Obi as Nigerian President and nothing more. They noted that since that task of delivering Abia to Obi was excellently executed during the Presidential election, there was no need remaining in Labour Party. They thanked the State Chairman of PDP, Hon Alwell Asiforo Okereke and his executives for accepting them back.

However, the Labour Party House of Representatives candidate for Obingwa/Ugwunagbo/Osisioma Federal Constituency, Hon Ibe Nwoke has disclaimed some reports in the media which claimed that he was one of those the Labour Party members that returned to PDP.

Nwoke described the reports as creations of his political opponents who were jittery of his coming mandate. The former Obingwa LGA Chairman also dismissed the reports that Labour Party has collapsed in Obingwa while assuring his supporters that his victory as the House of Reps elected member would still be realized.

Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has sacked 6 Local Government Area Transition Committee Chairmen in the State, after their swearing-in on February 10, 2023. Their sack was contained in a statement signed by Barr Chris Ezem, Secretary to Abia State government on Thursday evening.

The local governments that have new TC Chairmen are Isiala ngwa South, Ohafia, Umuahia South, Ikwuano while in Osisioma and Ugwunagbo LGAs, their Deputy TC Chairmen were also sacked and replaced. Prince Enyioma Okpanku was replaced by Chief IK Anyatonwu in Isiala Ngwa South LGA. James Ndukwe would hand over to Obrien Iroh as Ohafia LGA TC Chairman while in Umuahia South LGA, Nnachebe Uhiara was replaced with Kelechi Aguiyi. In Ikwuano LGA, William Ukatu Chimechefulam sacked and replaced with Dani Orjinta as the Chairman of Ikwuano LGA.

Chukwudi Ahuama replaced Nwandu Chiemela Godwin as Deputy Chairman of Ugwunagbo LGA. Chigaemezu Ejiekpe replaced Uchenna Jumbo as Deputy Chairman of Osisioma LGA. The statement by the SSG Ezem said the sack and replacements were with immediate effect, even as no explanation was given for their sack. Though, no explanation was adduced by the State government, the sacking of the LGA bosses just after 20 days in offices may not be unconnected with the the Governor in the Aba South Senate to Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.

Against the backdrop of allegations that he instructed the retrieval or destruction of electricity transformers from communities, Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Hon Chinedum Orji has denied the story.

He has rather described the reports as fake, malicious and wicked reports spread to blackmail his name.

In a statement signed by his Chief Pressing, Jude Chijioke Ndukwe, Hon Orji said he never carried out such exercise as alleged by his enemies.

He wondered how he would retrieve or destroy transformers he willingly donated, installed and energized in various Abia communities just because he was not declared winner of just held Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency.

The Speaker explained that the 5 days blackout experienced in Abia State was caused by a strike action embarked upon by electricity workers in Abia State.

He further advised Abians to ignore the wicked allegations as they were circulated by enemies of Abia State, warning that the name of the Abia number one Legislator should not be blackmailed again.

“Our attention has been drawn to the rumours making the rounds that the Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji FNSE has retrieved the electric transformers he donated, installed and energised for communities, and wish to state categorically clear that the rumours are not only false and misleading but also malicious, and should be treated as the handiwork of mischievous elements and meddlesome interlopers who mean no good for our people.

The truth is that the current darkness being experienced in the State for some days now is as a result of some labour disputes which forced labour union leaders to shut down offices and facilities with affiliate members.

“There is no way Mr Speaker could have condescended to the level of such trivialities as to retrieving transformers he willingly donated to communities out of his immense sense of service to the people, service which precedes his emergence as Speaker. We therefore urge Ndi’Abia to disregard such rumours as there is no iota of truth in them.”

” It is however heartwarming to note that Abians appreciate the enormity of Mr Speaker’s electricity projects across several of the state’s constituencies as epitomised by the transformers he donated and energised for them to the extent that their false rumour of retrieval could throw a large part of the state into total darkness and crumble businesses in the process.
This fact is well appreciated.”

The message concluded by assuring the benefiting communities that their transformers were still in place as they were installed.

The Court of Appeals has sacked Prof Greg Ibe as the governorship candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State. The Appellant Court also ruled that APGA can not present any guber candidate for the March 11 polls in Abia State. In unanimous decision by a three-man Panel of Judges, the Appeal Court held that the failure of APGA to conduct a fresh guber primary election within a 14- day’s time frame as ordered by the Federal High Court, Abuja in December robbed it the opportunity to present a governorship candidate in the March 11 polls. The decision of the Court of Appeals ruling was read by Justice Stephen Adah.

But reacting to the development, the guber candidate of APGA, Prof Greg Ibe rejected the judgment, describing it as strange and preposterous. Ibe who said that the primary election that produced him remained the most transparent as observed by officials of INEC, APGA national officers, Journalists and Civil Society Organisations, wondered why anyone would claim that the exercise was tainted by irregularities.

Prof Ibe vowed to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court where he believes, his mandate would be reaffirmed, adding that he remained the guber candidate of APGA. The founder of Gregory University, Uturu urged his supporters to remain upbeat, maintaining that the Supreme Court would throw away the ruling of the lower Courts. “This is not only a strange ruling but one that is preposterous and totally unjustifiable.

I thereby reject the judgement in its entirety and subsequently announce my decision to seek redress at the apex Court”, Ibe said. He explained that two prayers brought by Chief Chikwe Udensi against him before the Court of Appeals where he demanded that he be declared that the winner of the primaries were thrown away by the Court. Ibe wondered why the Court of Appeals went ahead to declare that APGA has no guber candidate.

He blamed his troubles on enemies of Abia who he said, are fighting his desires to salvage the State from years of backwardness. In December, Justice Binta Nyako of Federal High Court, Abuja nullified the May 2022 primary that produced Prof Ibe as candidate over alleged irregularities. Justice Nyako therefore ordered APGA to conduct a fresh primary within 14 days from the date of the High Court judgment. However, Ibe appealed the judgment.

The quest by the Abia North senatorial zone to produce the next Governor of Abia State may be ruined by their fielding of 10 governorship candidates.

The zone, which is insisting on producing the next Abia chief executive by 2023, is by the present scenario, grappling with the crises of which among the 10 candidates, to be the right choice. It is on record that the zone took the first in 1999 through Orji Uzor Kalu who ruled for 8 years after which he helped his political God son, Chief Theodore Orji to win in 2007. Theodore Orji who completed his second term in 2015, ensured that Ngwa man, Okezie Ikpeazu from Abia South succeeded him, for rotation of power to every zone of the State.

But the zoning of guber ticket to Abia Central and Abia North by the PDP before May 2022 primaries drew the ire of Abia North people who felt cheated by the arrangements. Eventual victory of Prof Uche Ikonne at the PDP guber primaries meant that Abia North should board a new boat, if it must enter the Government House. To do achieve this, a common front needed to be forged. But unlike Abia North, the 8 remaining guber candidates come from Abia Central and Abia South respectively.

For instance, Abia North parades Prof Greg Ibe (APGA), Dr Alex Otti (Labour Party), Ukpai Iro (NNPP), Dr Mrs Ngozika Gladys Johnson-Ogbuneke (SDP), Barr Lancaster Okoro (PRP), Hon Mascot Uzor Kalu (APP), Chibuike Jonans (ADP), Bishop Sunday Onuoha (ADC). Youth Party (YP) also parades a candidate from Abia North. In the case of Dr Alex Otti, he is popularly regarded as an Abia North with his roots traced to Arochukwu. With these line up of candidates, the chances of Abia North producing the next Governor is threatened unless a last-minute concensus arrangements takes place.

A close source in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) told News Echo this week that his party was initially afraid that it would lose the 2023 game to a candidate of Abia North extraction by a landslide. However, with the fielding of many top candidates from Abia North by political parties, the PDP strongman informed this paper that “We will leverage on the multiplicity of candidates from the Abia North zone to retain the State.”

He reasoned that unlike the PDP which has only Engr Enyinnaya Nwafor of Young Progressive Party as the major guber candidate from Ngwa land to contend with, votes coming from Abia North would, according to him, be split between the 10 candidates of Abia North origin.

The PDP man also identified the choice of Ohafia man as Dr Alex Otti’s running mate as another advantage that will work in favour of PDP.

Supporting the claims of the PDP top shot, a group, Abia North Political Project has warned that the quest for Governor of Abia North extraction may be a day dream unless the people of the zone settled for one man. The leader of Abia North Political Project, Dr Uduma Nnate whose group adopted the candidate of ADC, Bishop Sunday Onuoha said his group was out to ensure that power does not elude the zone.

He wondered why 10 candidates would come out from a zone that is crying of political marginalisation. But Nnate’s argument has been quashed by Mr Sleek Ogwo, the media Adviser to Prof Greg Ibe of APGA. According to Ogwo, the people of Abia North would choose their rightful ruler based on the pedigrees of such candidate, and not by consensus arrangements. Ogwo made it clear that Prof Ibe is ahead of other candidates based on what he has put in place. In APC, the candidate is High Chief Ikechi Emenike who is from Ohuhu, Umuahia North, Abia Central.

The State Party Chairman, Dr Kingsley Ononogbu who has continuously described Emenike as the best and strongest candidate in the race, also vowed that his party would also leverage on the crises other parties to win the poll. Presently, Emenike is the strongest candidate from Abia Central zone while his running mate comes from Ukwa, Abia South zone.

Undeterred by plethora of challengers from their areas, Alex Otti, Greg Ibe and Sunday Onuoha have maintained their State-wide campaigns with full confidence of becoming the next Abia Governor. In the minds of voters from Abia North, the crises of arriving at one choice among the 10 candidates from their zone is still boiling in their minds with many PVC holding indigenes confessing that it is hard choosing from the crowd of contestants.

The Action Peoples Congress (APP) House of Assembly candidate for Umuahia South constituency, Hon Chibuike Nwachukwu has accused his opponents of pre-election manipulations.

To this end, he has alleged that some of his opponents for the 2023 House of Assembly contest are allegedly offering some eligible voters N5, 000 each to surrender their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs).

The alleged sordid deals, according to the APP candidate, are happening in some villages of Umuopara clan where some poor widows and jobless youths were being enticed to trade their PVCs.

He further claimed that those carrying out the alleged mop-up exercise were afraid of going into the elections to prove their acceptability.

Hon Nwachukwu, who alerted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies about the alleged anti-democratic activities, cautioned that such activities must not be allowed to prevail.

According to him, the people of Umuahia South constituency were prepared to vote for only the candidates with tested records in February general polls, and not looters. The APP candidate further warned Umuahia South constituents against selling their future for peanuts