APC Begs Disgruntled Members To Reconcile With Ikechi Emenike

The ruling All Progressives Congress on Friday appealed to former Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Uche Ogah, and other disgruntled stakeholders to reconcile with Abia Governorship Candidate, Ikechi Emenike, to wrest the state from the Peoples Democratic Party.

The development is coming barely 24 hours after the Supreme Court Thursday affirmed Emenike as the authentic APC governorship candidate in Abia.

Addressing journalists on Friday, the APC National Welfare Secretary, Friday Nwosu, appealed to the warring parties to sheath their sword and work for the victory of the party in the state.

This is even as he begged Ogah to collapse his political structure and work together for Emenike.

He said, “I have thought it wise to address you in respect of the Supreme Court judgment on the primary election for Abia governorship candidate of the APC between Uche Ogah and Ikechi Emenike.

“In May 2022, our party conducted primaries into elective positions across the country, for Abia, the party decided to conduct indirect primary, which was the delegate primary election.

“This was agreed at the NWC meeting with the State Executive Committee of the party before we implemented it.

“The NWC sent delegates to Abia equipped with materials and directives to conduct indirect primary, prior to that, the party had conducted Ward and Local Government congresses where delegates were elected.”

Continuing, Nwosu disclosed that before the primary election, a particular aspirant came up with a letter claiming that the party’s leadership had ordered a direct primary.

“I know of truth that the letter was immediately withdrawn because it was not decided by the NWC. On the day in question, the aspirants and delegates gathered at Chidiebere Park, Umuahia and conducted indirect election where Ikechi Emenike emerged.

“But Ogah organised direct primary in a very small hall at Umuahia Central Stadium, claiming that the Independent National Electoral Commission monitored the primary election,” he said.

According to him, it resulted in several litigations from some of the party’s members until the case got to the Supreme Court.

Nwosu said, “We told him that he (Ogah) cannot win an unlawful exercise just because he claimed that INEC monitored the primary.

“Now that the highest court of the land has ruled, all we ask of him is to sheath his sword and collapse his structure into our own.

“He has tried by dragging the matter up to the Supreme Court, now is time to bring his supporters to join us and ensure we win the coming election.”

Ogah, who was also a governorship aspirant, had challenged the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which upturned his candidature.

Delivering judgment on Ogah’s appeal, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision delivered by Tijanni Abubakar held that the former minister’s appeal was devoid of merit.

The judgment has brought a bad blood between Ogah and Emenike’s supporters, a situation the ruling party feared could make them lose the governorship election in the state.