The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Abia state has dismissed as untrue the purported suspension of the governorship candidate of the party in the 2019 general election in Abia state, Dr Alex Otti and the state chairman of the party Hon. Nkem Okoro by a faction of the party led by Augustine Ehiemere. It added that they lack the powers to do so.
In a press statement signed by Hon Ebere Uzoukwa, state publicity secretary which was made available to Newscritic in Umuahia, APGA said its attention has been draw to the purported suspension of Dr Otti by some impostors masquerading as executive members of the party in the state.
He said the leadership of APGA in Abia state, wishes to the reiterate that the duo of Augustine Ehiemere and Sunday Onukwubiri do not belong to the executive of the party at any level in the state, hence they lack the powers and authority to suspend Otti or any member of the party.
‘’They also ventilated amid illegality the expulsion of our indefatigable and congress elected state chairman, Hon. Nkem Okoro from the party. The leadership of APGA wishes to reiterate that the duo of Augustine Ehiemere and Sunday Onukwubiiri do not belong to the executive of our great party at any level in the state, hence they lack powers and authority to suspend Dr Alex Otti or any other member of our great party’’.
Continuing the APGA said‘’it is a public knowledge that the Ehiemere, Onukwubiri and a few dissidents from our party regrouped shortly after the 2019 general elections and shamelessly aligned with the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and government of Abia state to frustrate Dr Alex Otti’s petition at the Abia State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia.
‘’They suddenly offered themselves as willing tools and surrendered to the whims of our oppressors and enemies of the state to destabilize APGA and further sustain the sufferings occasioned by the maladministration and repulsive governance under the ruling PDP in the state.
‘’To further equip and energize these APGA/PDP political jobbers in this ill-fated and futile project, the PDP led government just recently engaged one Ukpai Ukairo, a charge-and-bail lawyer and PDP member from Ohafia LGA as Ehiemere’s lawyer to ambush the tribunal for the purpose of striking out APGA as the second petitioner in the case filed by Otti challenging the sham called 2019 governorship election in Abia.
‘’There is no gainsaying that their evil plan failed woefully immediately the new APGA leadership under Hon. Nkem Okoro emerged a few months ago.
‘’Given the above stated facts, the leadership of our party, wishes to enjoin our teeming members and followers to discountenance the purported suspension of our leader and governorship candidate, Dr Otti, and unfounded expulsion of our dynamic state chairman. Hon Nkem Okoro by these unmasked political jobbers pay-rolled and funded by the PDP led government of Abia to destabilize Abia APGA and derail the wheel of justice at the governorship tribunal’’.
The party said it is optimistic that justice will not only be served but will be seen to have been served to salvage the God’s own state and her people, the statement concludes.
