A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and ex-Deputy Chairman of Umuahia North LGA of Abia State, Chief Chinedu Obilor has threatened to dump the party if current leadership fails to resolve internal wranglings rocking APC in the state.
The APC stalwart gave the leadership of his party one-month notice within which to put its house in order or risks losing him to another political party.
Obilor, a close associate of Nigeria Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Uchechukwu Ogah, made his position known in an interview with newsmen in Umauhia, on Tuesday.
He posited that APC in Abia State was having too many crisis and factions which is hindering its cohesion and possibility of winning the 2023 governorship contest in the state.
Chief Obilor maintained that if he can leave the PDP under which platform he served as Deputy Chairman as a result of unresolved party issues, that he is also at liberty to dump the APC any time he feels the party is no longer serving the interest of the masses.
He clarified that the APC is serving the interest of few stakeholders and not the interest of the generality of the party members, adding that the Balkanization of the party into different factions is its undoing.
“For instance, there is the Orji Kalu faction, the Uche Ogah group, the Ikechi Emenike faction, Paul Ikonne forces and even the Alex Otti block all working at cross purposes within the party, “the Party Chieftain stated.
The former Umuahia North Council Chairman Deputy North LGA queried how APC would be dreaming of taking over power in Abia whilst the party is not united.
“So, tell me how can such a political party achieve its aim?” he asks, stressing that APC appears not to be ready yet to dethrone PDP in the state.
He further said that it appears that it is only Abia North that is benefiting from the APC federal government despite all the efforts they made to ensure that the party gains ground in Abia during the 2019 general election.
“They are the ones enjoying everything now and we are suffering. Umuahia North is one of the LGAs that APC won, so why are we being neglected? The major stakeholders are only after their personal interests and pockets, so they have no plan for the masses, they are only deceiving them”.
“So, for me the APC is just using people to achieve their selfish desires and if they don’t want to address the situation, I will assist them to destroy the party. I am giving them one-month notice to put the party in order, otherwise we will tell them that the party belongs to nobody. Even Senator Orji Kalu is not the owner of the party, he joined likewise Hon Nkiruka Onyejeocha, all of them joined the party.
“And If you talk about the people that owns the party then talk about Chief Ikechi Emenike them, we are going to scatter the party if they don’t retrace their foot-steps, because you can’t win any election without Umuahia North. If they force us to leave the party, I will go with over 2000 supporters. So, I am giving them one month to put the party in order, or I decamp”.
On Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Chief Obilor described him as his friend, while pointing out that he wants the governor to fulfil his campaign promises to Abians.
He said the governor has started to do something in the state which is impressive and commendable.
He said, “I can’t because I belong to APC when the governor is working, I will not support him, no. Now Ikpeazu is doing well and I am telling everyone to support him. The road projects he is doing is commendable, few days ago I went to Aba and anyone can come and see it.
“The Ohuhu ring road is under construction but the problem is on the contractor handling that road, Wawa contractors; I don’t know what they are doing there”.
On power shift in 2023, he said by right, the Abia North should produce the next governor, adding that ”it behoves on them to give us a good candidate or lose the opportunity to other zones.”
