Emenike accuses Ogah of plotting to ensure APC fields no governorship candidate in Abia

From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia

The Abia State Governorship Candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), High Chief Emenike, has accused immediate past Minister of State, Mines and Steel, Dr. Uche Ogah, of hatching a plot to scuttle the chances of APC in the state fielding a governorship candidate in the 2023general elections.

 Chief Emenike made the accusation in a statement made available to newsmen in Umuahia where he alleged that Ogah has a “predetermined goal of destabilising the party,” having filed 12 suits in different courts seeking to dethrone himas the gubernatorial candidate of APC in Abia.

However, Chief Emenike who alleged that Ogah was parading the result of a fake governorship primary which was neither supervised by the National Secretariat of APC nor monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), told his challenger that he was playing the bull in a China’s shop, stressing that Ogah’s “desperation” to become the governorship candidate of the party in Abia “has reached an inglorious crescendo.”

Chief Emenike, a Journalist turned businessman cum politician said that Ogah has failed in his bid to ensure that APC does not have a governorship candidate in the 2023 election, adding that his (Emenike’s) Rescue mission was on course.

The statement issued by The Emenike Media Team (TEMT), and entitled: “Uche Ogah’s Desperation: What The General Public Must Know,” partly red:

“It has come to our notice that Uche Ogah’s desperation for governorship ticket that has already eluded him is assuming dangerous dimensions. In a rather mischievous statement  now in public domain, Ogah and his gang of political desperados have once again indulged in distortion of facts and misrepresentation of Judicial pronouncements.

“A statement in reference titled, “Important Public Enlightenment” is a voyage of deceit intended to confuse and mislead Ndi Abia and the general Nigerian public. But we can’t let them have their way and feed the public with poisonous diet of concocted lies, hence we hereby make the following clarifications:

“Uche Ogah’s desperation has reached an inglorious crescendo where he is now dragging to his arena of perfidy, the name of one of the finest and highly respected judges to have come out of Abia. Not a surprise. As a drowning politician Ogah is clutching at anything he considers a straw.  The sanctity of the Bench does not matter to him. Ironically, this is a man who has filed 12 suits in different courts on the same issue in search of elusive reliefs.

“On the issue of the suit filed by High Chief Ikechi Emenike at Abia State High Court sitting at Nkwoagu Isuochi which he (Emenike) won, we have no reason to join issues with Ogah on this already concluded matter, which is now a subject of appeal. He has acknowledged Emenike’s victory and the fact that the defendants in that suit have already complied with the court verdict.

“However, we are dismayed that Uche Ogah has resorted to blackmailing, vilifying and desecrating the judiciary in Abia State simply because he didn’t have his way in the court.  Again, this is no surprise. He harbours in his DNA, a strange chromosome that enables him to blame others for his self-inflicted political woes. That is why he has the audacity to attack the Abia judiciary. Nonetheless, this is a worrisome development which should be condemned by all well-meaning Abians.

“It should be noted that as far as the 2023 General Election is concerned, Uche Ogah is not the Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), or any other party for that matter, in Abia State. He was never elected a governorship candidate for 2023.

“High Chief Ikechi Emenike is the Governorship Candidate of APC in Abia State for the 2023 General Election. He emerged through the party’s primary conducted by a team sent by the National Secretariat of APC and witnessed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“High Chief Emenike’s Candidacy and the process through which he emerged has NEVER been in doubt. That is why he is duly recognised by the national leadership of the ruling APC as the party’s candidate for Abia. The party submitted his name to INEC and the electoral umpire has equally accorded him recognition as the APC governorship candidate for Abia.

“After losing at the party’s governorship primary of May 26, 2022, Uche Ogah has been going about calling himself a “governorship candidate” in a morbid self-amusement. But he is not a candidate of any sort. The desperate politician claimed that he conducted direct primary. He feigned ignorance of the directive from the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC exempting Abia State from direct primary as contained in a letter with Ref No. APC/NHDQ/INEC/19/022/6. Ogah should, therefore, tell the public who conducted his so-called direct primary. Certainly, not the National Secretariat of APC. The Committee headed by Chief Tony Obiefuna, which was sent to conduct the 2023 governorship primary for Abia conducted only one primary and all the aspirants, including Uche Ogah,  participated.

“When Ogah’s ambition to pick the governorship ticket of Abia APC in his usual transactional manner blew in his face, he hatched another plot to achieve his already predetermined goal of destabilising the party. At about 5.00pm (several hours after the conclusion of the APC governorship primary), Ogah, in cahoots with his hangers-on, retired to his campaign office along Umuwaya Road, Umuahia where they cooked up figures, enough to win governorship election, all in the name of primary election.

“It was at about 12.10am on May 27, 2022 that Ogah’s co-travellers announced him “winner” inside an office along Azikiwe Road, Umuahia. He purportedly scored 141, 942 votes! This sham exercise had nothing to do with APC National leadership or INEC. Pray, is party primary conducted by the party or by a desperate politician and his hirelings? Ogah should provide the answer.

“The so-called Abia Rejoice Media was right when it stated that the ruling of the Court of Appeal,  Owerri Division “has nothing to do with Uche Ogah as APC candidate.” Yes, he is not a candidate of APC and is not even a necessary party to the suit before the appellate court. Ogah is just a meddlesome interrupter.

“High Chief Emenike has been magnanimous in victory. After the governorship primary he extended the olive branch to all aggrieved members of Abia APC. This show of love, accommodation and unity of purpose led to the Reconciliation Meeting of June 18, 2023 held at Ntalakwu Oboro in Ikwuano local government.

“All the who-is-who in Abia APC subscribed to the peace pact and came up with the Ntalakwu Declaration in which all the hitherto warring groups buried the hatchet and pledged to forge ahead as one united Abia  APC  family under High Chief Emenike was the Governorship Candidate and Leader with Dr Kingsley Ononogbu as Chairman of Abia APC.  Sadly, only Uche Ogah and his handful of bad apples in the party refused to embrace peace.

“We are aware of the grand design of Uche Ogah to make himself the bull in a China shop just because he could not grab the governorship ticket of Abia APC. No matter how he tries to veil his intentions, we know that he is playing a script written for him by his sponsors, just like he did in 2019.

“ But we have to tell Ogah that his script aimed at ensuring that APC would not have a gubernatorial candidate in Abia has already failed. The Rescue Mission of High Chief Ikechi Emenike is on course and Abia would be better for it come 2023.”