Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo
The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed dismay over the activities of some members who have been engaging in “demarketing” the party and its leader, Chief Ikechi Emenike, warning them to retrace their steps.
State Chairman of APC, Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu, sounded the warning in Umuahia yesterday, noting that the so called party chieftains who lost in their bid to hijack the party structure during the party congresses in Abia were behind the malicious campaign against the party leadership.
He told journalists that those who were expected to help in building the party ahead of the 2023 political battle have now elevated their personal interests above the collective interest of the party hence “their embarking on inglorious campaign of calumny.”
Ononogbu stated that the congress losers have recruited some unscrupulous elements within the party and are sponsoring them to engage in fighting their proxy battle for the control of the party even when they had already lost out.
He cited an article in an online platform by one Engr. Agu Ndukwe Orji in which “he mischievously attempted to tarnish the image of Chief Emenike, a decent man by all standards” just because the renowned development economist has staked out his neck and resources to ensure that APC was retrieved from political merchants.
“They (congress losers) went on the offensive simply because Emenike prevented them from hijacking the party for their usual diabolic and commercial interests that usually prevent the residents from enjoying the dividends of democracy,” he said.
“They are desperate and very disturbed because, this time around, they have no opportunity to drag candidates for elections to various shrines across the country for their fetish rituals,” he added.
Ononogbu, who recently mounted the saddle of Abia APC chairmanship following a special congress, also condemned “the show of shame mounted by some hired women to embarrass the party at Abuja.”
He called on Abia people, party faithful and residents, the national leadership of APC and Nigerians in general to disregard the disgraceful antics of saboteurs.
According to him, the desperation of the losers has heightened and they have turned to a bull in china shop because “they no longer have the opportunity to extort money and deceive people, who genuinely want to use the APC platform to contest elections and ensure good governance that will change Abia narrative for good.”
The party chairman also threw more light on the letter of invitation by the chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, saying that Emenike duly acknowledged both the letter and the attached copy of a petition some party members wrote against him.
“Emenike’s response to the said petition is that it is riddled with forgeries, blatant lies, and ill will in addition to the fact that the newly elected executive committee had responded to it with a copy attached.
“He (Emenike) drew the attention of the committee to the fact that the document is not really a petition but a vicious voyage to attack anybody who refused to be compromised, particularly himself,” Ononogbu explained.
The former bank chief further stated that the leader of Abia APC had pointed out that there was no single expression of interest by the sponsors of the said petition towards reconciliation going by their tone and body language.
He argued that Orji’s reference to Emenike as a hot -tempered person was borne out of envy and also an attempt to tarnish the image of the secretary of the party’s Contact and Strategy Committee.
“One thing for sure is that Emenike towers above these strange characters in respect of family background, upbringing, education, exposure, inter personal relationships, experience, basic human decency and faith in God, among others,” Ononogbu asserted.
