Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia
The former Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Uche Ogah appears set to throw his weight behind the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Okechukwu Ahiwe.
Ogah’s move is coming barely few days after he lost his bid to claim the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State in a legal battle.
The Supreme Court had on February 9, 2023 in a unanimous verdict affirmed Chief Ikechi Emenike as the duly nominated governorship candidate of the APC in Abia State.
With Emenike’s victory, Ogah was expected to congratulate him and join hands with his party’s candidate to win the forthcoming governorship poll in Abia.
But it was learnt that the former minister has already taken a first step in his new romance with PDP, his former party by donating his billboards to the party’s governorship flag bearer, Ahiwe.
To this effect, Ogah’s billboard at the Imo/Abia border towards Owerrinta has been replaced with Ahiwe’s banner while Ogah’s two billboards at Ogbor Hill Aba have equally been converted to the use of PDP candidate.
Chairman of Abia APC, Dr Kingsley Ononogbu said that Ogah’s move has not come as a surprise to the Abia APC family, adding that “everyone knew that Ogah was sponsored by external elements to destabilise Abia APC.”
He said: “It is on record that he(Ogah) did not participate in the governorship primary of our party nor did he even conduct the purported personal primary he claimed to have won. But he believed that with forged documents he could hoodwink the judiciary and earn another pay day from his sponsors”.
The Abia APC chairman said that “the least we had expected from Ogah is to congratulate Emenike and direct his supporters to queue behind the governorship candidate of our party to further ensure victory for APC in Abia”.
However, Ononogbu insisted that “the door of Abia APC is still open to all aggrieved members as well as prospective members”
The Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha has consistently maintained that Ogah “is a mole in Abia APC” hence his legal fights over the party’s governorship ticket was just a ruse.
Another chieftain of APC, Prince Benedict Benjamin Apugo had also publicly stated that in 2019 Ogah had compromised the governorship ticket of the party hence he could not be trusted with another chance.
If the former Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development finally turned his back on APC and work against the party, the presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu would be disappointed.
Tinubu had during his presidential campaign rally in Abia urged Ogah to end all feuds and legal tussles and then meet him for an in-house resolution of his grievances.
“Uche Ogah please, stop all court actions and come and see me. Come home, let us resolve our matter in our living room,” Tinubu said; adding, “Our position here is clear: Ikechi Emenike is holding the flag of our party, APC,” Tinubu had said.
