Emenike: I’m in ADC to Help Salvage Nigeria from Miserable Leadership 

Boniface Okoro in Umuahia

The 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, Chief Ikechi Emenike, has confirmed that he has joined the emerging political coalition to help save Nigeria from miserable leadership.

He made this known yesterday, while responding to a statement by a group impugning his membership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), attaching bad motives to his change of party.

Emenike described as “trash and pure blackmail” the insinuation that his presence in ADC would lead to crisis, saying that he has always played politics of development.

He pushed back at the so-called ADC Vanguard and those sponsoring the group, wondering why they have become jittery and indeed afraid of his defection to ADC.

Emenike explained that he decided to join hands with political leaders of like minds to pull Nigeria back from plunging into the precipice.

He made it clear that he is not in ADC to seek any position, saying that his traducers “should be prepared to hide their faces in shame as Emenike is neither vying for governorship nor any elective office.

“ADC of today is made up of leaders from different parties who have converged to salvage Nigeria,” he said.

Given his status in his former party, Emenike said that he deserved commendation for dumping APC instead of remaining in the ruling party and watching the ruination of Nigeria in the hands of the ruling party.

“Any Igbo man who has the courage to refuse to be part of Tinubu’s miserable performance and Igbo phobic tendencies should be applauded,” he said, adding that he has never been a sycophant.

On the influx of his teeming followers into ADC in Abia, Emenike said that those who feel uncomfortable should calm their unduly frayed nerves as the party would be better for it.

He stated that having built a huge followership across Abia State over the past 20 years, there was no way he would move into a party without his followers being accommodated.

The development economist challenged the irritant group to point out any federal project their sponsors and co-travellers have attracted to Abia to justify their membership of political parties.

Emenike on his part single-handedly brought the Federal Polytechnic in Umunneochi and the Federal College of Education at Ofeme Umuahia, among several empowerment programmes.

He warned those hiding under faceless groups to malign him of the consequences, saying that they risk being dragged to court over libelous statements targeted at his person.