Abia APC Urges Unity as 99 Aspirants Compete for 36 Tickets in Primary

Boniface Okoro

The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned members and aspirants against allowing the party’s primaries to trigger internal crisis, as 99 hopefuls jostle for the party’s tickets to contest the 36 elective positions in the state in the 2027 general elections.

The caution came on Thursday during the party’s Pre-Primary Election Stakeholders Engagement at the new party state secretariat in Umuahia, where leaders stressed the need for discipline and sportsmanship in a contest they described as the most crowded in the party’s recent history.

According to the breakdown released at the meeting, 64 aspirants purchased forms for the 24 seats in the Abia State House of Assembly, with 63 cleared to contest. Twenty-four are seeking tickets for the state’s eight Federal Constituencies, nine are vying for the three senatorial slots, and three will contest the governorship ticket.

The leaders agreed that the large number of aspirants reflected growing confidence in the APC, but warned that only unity and discipline would translate that momentum into victory.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Abia APC leader, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, said the party could not afford to fracture after years of rebuilding.  

“We want to make sure that our party will not disintegrate after the primaries. We know what we have put in – the energy, the legwork and the resources. May this primary not break the party into pieces, in Jesus’ name,” Kalu said.

He urged aspirants to accept the outcome in good faith, noting that political power comes from God and not everyone can hold office at once.  

“All of us will not occupy the position at the same time. One must stand, another must wait. I waited for 17 years and did not die. Today, I am the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and I have gained back all that I had lost,” he said.

Kalu declared that the party has never been stronger, claiming that when Abia APC “coughs,” the state government “shakes.” He assured aspirants of a rancour-free and credible process, insisting there was “no automatic ticket anywhere for anybody” and “no list anywhere by anybody.”  

Candidates, he said, would emerge either by consensus or direct primary, and the priority after the exercise must be unity to capture the Abia governorship in 2027.

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu said President Bola Tinubu had tasked Abia APC to deliver the state in 2027 and urged him to end his feud with the Deputy Speaker.  

“He said, quarrel no more. Don’t quarrel with your younger brother, the Deputy Speaker,” Senator Kalu quoted President Tinubu as telling him, and declared that “bickering is gone” as the focus shifts to winning the 2027 election.

State party chairman Hon. Chijioke Chukwu, said victory in 2027 depended on successful primaries.  

“There is no way we can achieve victory if we don’t make these coming primaries a success. We must approach it with the spirit of brotherhood, with the spirit of sportsmanship. We must place the party above self,” he said.

Aspirants at the meeting committed to ensuring hitch-free primaries and keeping the party’s interest above personal ambition.