Former governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Abia state, Amb. Chibuike Ukauwa, has lambasted a member of the party’s Board of Trustees, Benjamin Apugo, over what he termed as the latter’s devious role in the last 2019 general elections in the state.
Ukauwa accused Apugo of recieving large sum of monies from the incumbent Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and licked the APC strategies leading the PDP unleashing it’s fraudulent manipulations of the governorship election.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has been declared the winner of the 2019 gubernatorial election in Abia State.
Ikpeazu polled the total number of 261,127 to defeat Uche Ogah of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Alex Otto of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.
He was declared winner by the INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba.
While addressing journalists in a press conference in Umuahia, the Abia capital on Monday, Ukauwa called for urgent survellvaince around the BoT member by the Adams Oshimohole-led national Working Committee(NWC), adding that Apugo has become a corolavrius, which if not checked may cause further harm to APC ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He insisted that the elder statesman has failed to offer APC in Abia better fortunes in winning elections, urged the leadership of APC at all level to extend its sledge hammer to Prince Benjamin Apugo over obvious and questionable romances with the PDP which he claimed has continued to deny the party opportunities to form governement in Abia state.
According to the party stalwart, “The leadership of the party should look into some anti-party activities of APC leaders. It is known in the public domain that most of the leaders recieved huge sume of monies from the PDP-led governement during the poll and up till now, the party at the national and State levels have failed to wade into the matter. Recently, Benjamin Apugo, a BoT member of APC and close ally of the PDP government in Abia alleged that Ikpeazu bought nomination forms for the seven aspirants that jostled for the governorship ticket during APC 2018 primaries. Although the Abia chapter of the party had come out to debunk the claim by Apugo.
“But to set the record straight, Apugo rather was the person Ikpeazu contracted with huge monies to scuttle the party’s winning stragies, and the governor and his party, PDP, succeeded in thwarting the will of the people. This is a man that recieved about 20 million naira from the campaign funds in order to persecute Abia central Senatorial zone election in Ikwuano/ Umuahia federal constituency and he diverted it, living the party in the constituency penniless to carry out it’s activities. We challenge him to come forward,because, he has remained coloravirus enpidemic that has eaten the fabrics of APC in Abia. He has contributed alot in working against the party, so, I urge APC leadership to hit it’s hammer on Apugo, who has failed to lead APC to victory as a BoT member.
“Apugo should be expelled if Abia APC want to form government in the state. During 2015 election, he failed all elections in his Umuahia east constituency as a BoT member. He also failed to deliver President Buhari and APC guber flagbear, Uche Ogah in his ward. So, what is he doing in APC doing?If people like him still remain in the party, APC will continue to lose elections. I call on Oshimohole, Buhari to take urgent step to forestall APC downfall again ahead of 2023 elections”.
Ukauwa, also used the opportunity to pass a vote of confidence in the present Abia State Working Committee(SWC)-led by Donatus Nwankpa and the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah, pointing out that the duo has exhibited exemplary leadership which had led Abians seeing monumental projects of the APC-led federal government.
– Chijindu Emeruwa
