hieftains of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia Thursday passed a vote of confidence on the State Working Committee (SWC), over its conduct of the party’s primary elections.
Reports have it that the party’s Local Government (LG) and Ward Chairmen and Secretaries announced this at the party’s Secretariat in Umuahia.
They were joined by the woman and youth leaders of the party at the ward and LG levels.
The group said it was at the party office to commend the SWC for conducting transparent, fair and credible primary elections for all the elective positions.
In a speech during the solidarity visit, the Chairman of Chairmen, Mr Divine Nnamdi, said the step was taken to lend their weight behind the outcome of the primaries.
Nnamdi said that they aligned themselves with the SWC “in their objective management of APGA in Abia”.
According to him, the primaries were conducted in an atmosphere of due process and internal democracy.
“It remains the freest primaries ever held by APGA in Abia,” he further said.
Also, the Secretary of Secretaries, Mr Nduka Izuchukwu, said that they came to reaffirm that the primaries were “genuinely conducted” and followed due process.
“The exercise was done in a fair and transparent manner and with respect to internal democracy.
“It is important to note that all the aspirants participated and witnessed the seamless process that produced our flag bearers,” Izuchukwu said.
The Woman Leader and Youth Leader, Mrs Juliet Okonkwo and Kalu Ukpai, respectively, spoke in similar vein, saying that they stood by the outcome of the primaries.
The lawmaker, representing Aba South constituency, Mr Obinna Ichita, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the primaries “that led to the emergence of credible candidates”.
Ichita, who is the only APGA member in the House of Assembly, said he was confident that the party would take over the state in 2023.
In an address, the Chairman of the party, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, thanked the ward and LG leaderships for the vote of confidence on the SWC.
Ehiemere urged them to remain steadfast and committed to the cause of the party to clinch all the elective positions in the upcoming general elections.
He charged them not to be distracted by “wolves and political jobbers, who are out to derail the party from realising its divine mandate in 2023”.
All the speakers underscored the need for the party to remain united and focussed in order to go into the general elections with the unity of purpose and unalloyed commitment.
They appealed to aspirants that have gone to court to challenge the outcome of the primaries to withdraw their suits and join hands with the winners to ensure resounding electoral victory for the party.
Reports have it that one of the four governorship aspirants, Mr Chikwe Udensi, had on May 29, declared himself the candidate of the party from a parallel primary election.
Another governorship aspirant, Gen. Ijioma Ijioma (rtd.), rejected the result of the exercise.
Both aspirants threatened to go to court to challenge the outcome of the primary election, which produced the Chancellor of Gregory University, Uturu, Prof. Greg Ibe, as the party’s gubernatorial candidate.