By Enyinnaya Kalu
The sponsored publication by one Lucas Ajanaku with the caption, “Buhari’s Ministerial position tears Abia APC apart”, is indeed frivolous. We salute his attempt to excite readers with brazen falsehood, skewed facts and comical tales.
It is our opinion that, it is either Lucas Ajanaku never witnessed the Abia APC 2019 campaigns and elections or he is being economical with the truth about the 2019 elections and post election issues in Abia State.
It’s a natural phenomenon that once you put an effort on a practice, there must be a result at the end of the practice. During the 2019 elections. The Presidential campaigns that were organized across the 17 LGAs in Abia were organized by a candidate of APC who hails from Abia North Senatorial district.
It is on record that Abia North is the home and the comfort zone of APC in Abia. Candidates of APC from Abia North committed their resources and time for the success of the party unlike other zones.
The determined zeal by the Abia North APC was evident in their electoral results at the Presidential and National and State Assembly elections. Determination and zeal for a Buhari victory were superior considerations of the Abia North Senatorial District Party members. The Zone got lesser funds for logistics and mobilization in comparison with other Senatorial districts in Abia State. Yet Abia North achieved more than other zones which calls to question the leadership credibility and integrity of Abia South and Central districts, APC candidates and leaders.
Ajanaku also asserted in the article that, “some of the candidate never truly came to contest, but to use the party platform and ticket to seek for Federal appointment”. We quite agree with Ajanaku’s submission, because, there is no other way to describe a situation, where a man who did all to take the party’s Senatorial ticket for himself, ensured his cronies got that of his State Assembly and his Federal Constituency, only ended up giving President Muhammadu Buhari 3,000 votes on the day of election from his two Ukwa Local Government Areas.
This is the same Abia South Senatorial zone that produced the APC State Deputy Chairman and the Publicity Secretary. None of the State Party officials from this senatorial zone, were in any of the polling units or collation centers on the day of the Presidential election. They were in hotels around the city enjoying themselves with party funds meant for logistics and mobilization and got the polling agents stranded.
It was a deliberate plan by the leaders of APC from Abia South and part of Abia Central to work against the interest of the party because, of the rookie stipends the State Governor allocates to them monthly. True to their agreement with the Governor, the Abia South APC, ended up working for the PDP Presidential candidate. We challenge them to produce the election results of their zone. They connived with PDP to allocate results to PDP at the detriment of APC.
It is on record that Prince Paul Ikonne from Abia South, and Chief Ikechi Emenike from Abia Central who both lost the gubernatorial primaries, worked against the re-election of President Buhari so badly that, they could not hide their disdain for APC and President Buhari. On the 7th of March 2019, barely 48 hours to the gubernatorial and state Assembly elections, both came on a live radio programme and requested Abia people to vote for the PDP. Ikonne told Abians that his message was from the Presidency. That was how bad political jobbers could go.
A leader who kills his devotees is not a leader that inspires devotion. This is the best description of the APC leaders from Abia South and part of Abia Central. It’s saddening that, the same candidates and questionable leaders who jeopardized the interests of the party, are now jostling for Federal appointments from this same President Muhammadu Buhari they worked against.
Mark Wabara has never been the Abia South choice for Senate due to how his brother disgraced Abia people when he was the Senate President. it made it even difficult for him to be elected. Mark is not accessible as a leader, the Ukwa people dislike his personality and that was why he failed even in his own ward. What is the ground of this his tall dream? How could you work in G.Cappa and head for Julius Berger for your salary? APC actually lost Abia South Senatorial seat when that ticket found its way to Mark Wabara’s pocket.
As a group that has worked tirelessly for the APC in South East, Nigeria and for the President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election, we plead with our amiable President to go through the Abia State Presidential result, and reward the people who kept vigil to work around their communities to get him re-elected, despite the propaganda by the Abia PDP against his person.
We are also aware that some of the APC candidates from Abia South and part of Central, were actually sponsored by the Abia PDP government. Their nomination forms were paid for, by the State Governor, but it’s quite unfortunate, that the real stories with facts, came after the election. We have made the mistake in 2019, we will never make that mistake again.
Enyinnaya Kalu
State Coordinator
SOUTH EAST YOUTH FOR BUHARI (SEYB)
Abia Chapter
