OUTHEAST is one of the zones in the country that All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015 could not get immediate acceptance after it was formed with the likes of Dr. Chris Ngige, George Moghalu, Osita Izunaso, Governor Rochas Okorocha, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa, Chief Ikechi Emenike, Anyim Nyerere Anyim, Prince Benjamin Apugo, Rt.Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka, Comrade Benedict Godson and so many other notable Abians, including former Deputy Governor of Abia State, Comrade Chris Akomas, as members.
Despite the change mantra being bandied by the party, campaigning for APC then in the Southeast was a difficult task. It was like the experience of early Christians who suffered persecution in the hands of the oppressors who were averse to accepting the message of repentance being brought to their doorsteps by the early missionaries.
Like some of the early preachers who were stoned to death by their people or faced humiliation, in Abia State in particular, some of the early disciples of the party registered secretly to either avoid the wrath of then government or stigmatisation of such individual by his kit and kin. Unconfirmed information has it that some of the APC members who were seen as strong force were troubled by the government in power.
Former governor of the state, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, even at a recent meeting held at his Neya Camp in Bende Local Government area lamented how the former governor of the state and his successor, Senator Theodore Orji, backed by the federal government used two Armored Personnel Carrier to block his gate during the 2015 Abia North Senatorial District election rerun which allegedly gave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the opportunity to rig the election in favour of incumbent Senator representing the District in the Red Chambers of the National Assembly.
Then presidential candidate of the party and now President of the country, Muhammadu Buhari, was denied using the Umuahia Township and Enyimba stadium, Aba, including other public facilities in the state respectively for campaign. The campaign was later held at Etche road Primary School field with no or few police and other security presence in case of any security breach at the venue of the rally.
His Imperial Majesty, Eze Isaac Ikonne, was not spared from the attack as those who constitute the leadership of the Abia State Traditional Rulers Council denied being on the same page with the revered monarch for honouring Buhari with the “Ogbuagu” chieftaincy title during the APC presidential aspirant visit to his palace.
The narrative however changed after the election when Buhari emerged the winner after defeating incumbent, former President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan.
It is important to say that after surviving the stormy weather, APC in Abia State have come to stay as it can boast of myriad membership of political big weights across the 17 local government areas of the state.
Political analysts have opined that with the likes of Senator Nkechi Nwaogu (former Abia Central District lawmaker and Pro-chancellor and Governing Board chairman University of Calabar), senators Chris Adighije and Bob Nwannunnu, Emeka Wogu (former Minister of Labour and Productivity), Rt. Hon. Martins Azubuike (former Speaker Abia State House of Assembly), Hon. Humphrey Azubuike former Abia House of Assembly Chief Whip, Sir Marc Wabara (former MD/CEO of defunct Hallmark Bank), Hon. Iheanacho Obioma (former Umuahia/Ikwuano House of Reps member), former Speaker Agwu U. Agwu, Sir Friday Nwosu (2015 governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in Abia State) and many others, the party is capable of winning elections in the state come 2019.
It is therefore no doubt that APC in Abia, having the likes of Prince Apugo, former governor and the leader of the party in the state, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, who have been described by many as the father of modern day Abia politics, Nwaogu, Wogu, Dr. Uche Sampson Ogah, the CEO, Masters Energy conglomerate and the new entrant, Nkeiruka Onyejiocha, etc, would do exploits in 2019 General Elections as they are no pushovers when it comes to having the political sagacity, having support base across the three senatorial districts of the state and winning elections in the state.
These people are no minors or neophytes in the politics of the state and the country at large.
No politician in the state can wish away the influence of former governor of the state who even after being out of power for about 12years still remains popular even more than the sitting governor.
Some Kalu apologists have stated that if popularity test were to be conducted between Kalu, his successor (T.A Orji) and the sitting governor, they are optimistic that Kalu would beat them in any part of the state.
Investigation by The Nation in the state shows that some of the serving political appointees in the present PDP-led government in the state are still loyal to Kalu. Some of them said told our correspondent off-records that they would not hesitate in giving their votes to Kalu any time if they have the opportunity to do so.
Apart from the door-to-door campaign strategy, the party has thrown its gubernatorial seat open to every eligible aspirant from any part of the state. This is as the party leadership has stated that they would not zone the ticket to any zone, but rather would give every eligible person the opportunity to contest the seat.
According to the State Chairman of the party, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa, the priority of the party at this time is getting a good and salable candidate that the people in the three senatorial zones of the state would readily accept because of his or her popularity and credibility in delivering democratic dividend to the people of the state which they said the state is lacking at the moment.
Some members of the party in a recent chat with The Nation urged the party leadership to adopt direct primaries if they want to gain the confidence of party faithful and electorate in the state who see the process of selecting their candidates as transparent and credible.
They equally noted that direct primaries would kill camping of delegates and defection of potential defectors who may leave the party because of a “faulty” process of choosing the party’s representatives.
Nut our reporter who chatted with some members of the party who would not want their names in print said they want the leadership of the party to reconsider the decision to throw the gubernatorial seat of the party open to all persons, but to narrow it to the Ngwa extraction of the Ukwa/Ngwa nation where by the virtue of the rotation of power formula in the state have the right to produce the next governor of the state.
Recently, stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ukwa/Ngwa caucus resolved to ensure that the governorship candidate of the party in 2019 General Election emerges from the Ngwa extraction.
The resolution came at the end of an extended caucus meeting of stakeholders of the party which took place at the Banquet Hall of Hotel De La Pair in Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State.
The caucus members in a motion moved by Hon. Humphrey Azubuike, and seconded by Onyema Tons-Nwamara also agreed that while their Ngwa brothers produce the governorship aspirant, the Ukwa people should produce aspirant for the Abia South Senatorial seat.
Many speakers at the meeting, including Dr. Brightman Onyendi, noted that there are many gubernatorial aspirants among them which could hamper their mission and therefore harped on the need for the caucus to look inwards and present to them an aspirant that is credible and who can deliver democratic dividends to the people of the state who he said have over the years been denied quality representation and good governance.
The speakers noted that there is need for the Ukwa/Ngwa nation in APC to come together and unite to speak with one voice and avoid anything that would bring disagreement of any kind among them, stressing that selfish interest of both governorship and senatorial aspirants from the area may truncate their efforts.
The State Deputy chairman of the party and representative of the State chairman, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa, Chief Ogumka Adiele in his speech asked the caucus to ensure that they put their house in order. This is as he disclosed that the party might decide to adopt direct primaries as was the case in Osun.
Adiele, who reiterated that the party would ensure a level playing ground for all aspirants ahead of the party’s primaries scheduled for later this year, also said that power is not gotten on a platter of gold, adding that they must work for it.
The state deputy chairman, while calling on APC in Old Aba zone to be more united, also urged them to go back to their areas and mobilise support for the party and to also encourage people to take advantage of the extended PVC registration exercise to obtain their permanent voters card.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the meeting, which attracted the presence of Rt. Hon. Martins Azubuike, Chief Okey Adiaso, Chief Emeka Onugha, Comrade Benedict Godson, Hon. C. C. Nwogu, Dr. Green Amakwe, Dr. Brightman Onyedi among others, Chief Marc Wabara (Chairman Ukwa/Ngwa APC caucus) said that the essence of the meeting was for them to have a united front ahead of the 2019 General Election in the state.
According to Wabara, the caucus, as part of its mandate, would engage APC stakeholders in the Old Bende region in a roundtable to see how they can be able to have an understanding with them in order to ensure that the Old Bende supports the idea of having an Ngwa governorship candidate of APC in the state come 2019.
On fears that the absence of gubernatorial and senatorial aspirants truncating the plans of the caucus, Wabara posited “The reason why you have many aspirants coming out from Ukwa Ngwa is arising from the general politics of Abia State regardless of the party platform. You will understand that in the last general election, even though we were not talking of APC then, that the governorship was zoned to Abia South and some of us were one of those who put heads together with our other Ukwa/Ngwa brothers and we insisted that for equity, fairness and justice, that they should zone the governorship to Abia South and it was done.
“That is why today under PDP, we have an Ukwa/Ngwa son as a governor. So in APC, we are saying that the Ukwa/Ngwa bloc should produce the next governor of the state. And that is why you have many aspirants coming out from Ukwa/Ngwa. But within the Ukwa/Ngwa bloc, we have also taken harder decision that the Ngwa brothers should complete the governorship and that is why we have about six aspirants among us and we setup a screening committee and the essence of the screening committee is to screen those who have indicated interest so that at the end of the screening, using some variables and yardsticks, we can present the best from the zone in both the governorship and senatorial seats respectively.
“The most important and fundamental issue is that within the Ukwa/Ngwa bloc, we have agreed that Ngwa brothers should produce the governor while the Ukwa, the oil producing area, should produce the senator.
“The aspirants joined in nominating members of the screening committee. They participated in setting up the guidelines and the terms of reference. They have also realised that at the end of the day, no matter the number, only one of them will eventually emerge. So, they have confidence in the screening committee. They have confidence in the Ukwa/Ngwa APC caucus which I am presently the chairman. At the end of the day, when we finish with the screening and when we have the result, we will sit together with the aspirants who have also committed that whatever the results are, that they will comply with it.
Any person from Ukwa who says that he wants to run for governor is not going in accordance with the agreement.”
Also speaking, Martins Azubuike said “This meeting is necessary against the background that in a few days from now, the party will be entering into electioneering and campaign activities that will lead to the emergence of candidates at our party at various levels of election.
“As a group, we hold the view that the governorship ticket of our great party should remain in Ukwu Ngwa to enable us field an Ukwa Ngwa candidate that would contest alongside the incumbent, who is also an Ukwa Ngwa son, even though of the PDP. We feel that that would put the party in a very good stead because it will be a case of Ukwa Ngwa nation looking at their sons who hold the tickets and maybe deciding on which of them they want to go with. Then, the other divide; the old Bende would make the difference in the election.
“Abia stands on two legs; old Bende Division made up of eight local government areas and the Ukwa-Ngwa Division made up of nine local government areas. The governorship is in Ukwa-Ngwa today and that is what gives me the confidence. Apart from the issues of capability and competence, looking at where I come from, the Ukwa-Ngwa bloc, I believe that I am in a very right footing to aspire because I am from Ukwa Ngwa.”
However, the party must put its house together by reconciling all the aggrieved persons in order to form a common front ahead of the 2019 polls.
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