December 28, (THEWILL) – A group, Ebonyi South Elite Class, has condemned moves by the State Working Committee (SWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to scheme out Chief Austin Umahi from contesting the senatorial district’s bye-election scheduled for February 2024.
It will be recalled that the party’s SWC, on Tuesday, zoned the senatorial zone’s ticket to Onicha Local Government Area, thereby edging out Ohaozara LGA where Austin hails from.
Austin, younger brother to Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, is vying for the seat vacated by the former governor after he was given a ministerial position by President Bola Tinubu.
The National Coordinator of the group, Dr James Enyinnaya, in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday, said the reasons given by the party for the decision amounted to “misinforming the public”.
Enyinna said that contrary to the reason given by the SWC that Onicha LGA does not occupy any political position of note, indigenes of the council indeed were occupying positions of note in the state.
“Prof. Monday Igwe is the Medical Director of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital while Prof. Chigozie Ogbu is the current Vice Chancellor of Ebonyi State University.
“Rt. Hon Valentine Okike is a present Commissioner in the State so also Engr. Felix Igboke – the party’s candidate for the area’s House of Representatives seat,” he stated.
He noted that Onicha people refused to vote for Igboke during the last general elections and were now crying more than the bereaved.
“Hon Ogbonna Okike (Valentine’s younger brother) is an SSA to the Governor as the council has two other SSAs and two SAs.
“The council has statutory and other appointments in the State while its son was the PDP’s gubernatorial candidate whom the people chose to vote for.”
The coordinator further noted that instead of voting for the APC’s candidate for the House of Representatives seat, Igboke, who is their son, they decided to vote for the Labour Party candidate.
“A son of Onicha LGA contested for the Senate under the Labour Party but failed. It is very important to note that the Labour Party candidate won the OHANIVO House of Representative seat because the Onicha people preferred to give their vote to the Labour Party and betray the APC,” he added.
According to him, inciting the State Governor against the good people of Ohaozara was totally unacceptable and was capable of causing disunity within the party.
“The APC lead slogan during the last general election in which Austin was the campaign organisation’s Director General was and is still ONYE RUA ORIE (He who works will eat).
“Why is it abandoned this early? Leaving the people who believed in and voted for you and undeservedly rewarding those who opposed you is bad.
“It will encourage rebellion and disobedience in the party as the public should kindly ignore these compromised, misinformed persons parading as leaders,” he avered.
Enyinnaya said such persons are after their personal gain and want to jeopardise the success of the party.
“We call on Governor Francis Nwifuru whom Ohaozara people voted for and Onicha people voted against to ignore misinformation by these detractors.
“We should recall that in 2023, these people also worked against and tried to alter the equity, fairness and justice agreement of making Nwifuru the 4th Executive Governor of the State.
“The Governor should remember that his main opposition came from Onicha LGA and to prove their determination to thwart his destiny, APC lost in Onicha LGA by scoring 5,140 votes to PDP’s 15,403 votes.
“Ohaozara, who led the campaign proved their commitment by voting 10,903 votes for APC as against PDP’s 5,003 votes,” he said.
He reminded the APC SWC that Onicha alone cannot produce the winning result as the Labour Party candidate is from there.
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Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
