Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia
The 2023 political weather has continued to look good for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ikechi Emenike, as political parties and interest groups are realigning for the March 18 governorship poll in Abia.
To this end, the main opposition party has made inroads into no fewer than seven political parties drawing hundreds of defectors, including party chieftains into its fold.
The Director-General of the Ikechi Emenike Campaign Council, Uche Ogboso attributed the development to the growing popularity of the governorship flag bearer of APC, saying the party has the best candidate among the rest.
The new defectors were attracted into Emenike’s field within the one week extension period of the governorship poll after successful outing of APC in the February 25, 2023 presidential poll, he said.
he listed parties that have lost members to APC include the party in power, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Action Peoples Party (APP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Labour Party (LP) and the Youth Party.
“Members of other parties are giving their endorsements and support for the election of High Chief Ikechi Emenike asgovernor or Abia State having found him as the most credible and capable among all the governorship candidates in Abia,” Ogboso said.
He revealed that talks were ongoing with nine other political parties to join the rescue and develop Abia(RADA) moving train and adopt the APC governorship candidate.
The Campaign DG named the parties, “we’re still discussing with” for possible absorption to include Accord Party, Action Alliance(AA), Allied Peoples Movement(APM), Boot Party(BP), Zenith Labour Party(ZLP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
On March 8, 2023 stakeholders and ward executives of APP numbering over 50 openly declared to join the RADA team of Emenike during a meeting at Amurie Nkporo Hall in Ohafia local government.
At another event, over 80 members of NRM in Ohafia and Arochukwu Local governments as well their PDP counterparts in Ohafia declared for the APC. The group was led by the NRM House of Representatives candidate for the Ohafia/Arochukwu federal constituency, Rev Boris Olugu
The main opposition party also on the same day received into its fold a major PDP stakeholder from Ohafia, Prince Kalu Eze Okarazu, who is a former special adviser to Abia governor.
Okarazu, a member of the ruling family of Elu Ohafia Udumeze led seven other PDP stakeholders to defect to APC, vowing, “to do everything possible to support the APC governorship candidate win the forthcoming governorship poll.
The retirees weighed down by sufferings and hardships thrown at them by unpaid pensions and gratuities have latched on to Emenike as their hope of survival.
In a statement jointly signed by the leaders of the Senior Citizens Forum, Abia State, Chief Joe Onuoha(Abia North), Mr. Peter Anyim (Abia Central) and Chief James Ikedi (Abia South), the senior citizens endorsed Emenike’s candidacy.
“We therefore urge all senior citizens in Abia State and their family members to massively vote for High Chief Ikechi Emenike and APC in the forthcoming governorship election, as “he is the only candidate in this race who can be trusted to keep promises”.
“He(Emenike) is the only candidate with verifiable policy of prompt payment of pensions, arrears of pensions, gratuities and monthly allowances to all senior citizens in the state,” the senior citizens said in justifying their choice of candidate.
A chunk of the membership of Abia Rejoice, the political structure of the former minister of state for mines and steel development, Mr. Uche Ogah also pledged allegiance to Emenike.
The group led by Jerry Chimechefulam apparently broke ranks as Ogah had reportedly handed over his structure to the governorship candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Alex Otti.
