Inter party squabbles: Otuwe Oji sues for unity among APC stakeholders in Abia
By Chinedu Emeruwa Chinedu
A southeast chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Hon Otuwe Kalu Oji, has sued for truce among warring factions in Abia state chapter of the APC.
Mr Oji who was also the Abia APC house of assembly candidate for Ohafia north constituency seat during the just-concluded March 18th 2023 state election, was speaking in an interview with our correspondent on Friday in Umuahia, the Abia state capital.
He identified open sabotage and treacherous attitudes allegedly displayed by most critical party leaders and stakeholders from Abia as major cause of party’s abysmal performances in the recently- conducted governorship and house of assembly polls by the independent national electoral commission.
According to him, the party leadership must wade in to end the clashes of interests which had continued to pose as clogs in the wheel of progress of the state APC to win an election and form a government in Abia state, in order to provide the essential dividends of democracy to every doorsteps of people of the state.
Oji reiterated that all warring party leaders and members of the party must close ranks and put Abia and APC interests above personal political aggrandisement to enable the progressive party take over the state government house in Umuahia in future
elections.
He admonished all aggrieved APC members to bury their individual differences and work together towards repositioning the main opposition party in Abia state, to play active roles by engaging and putting the ruling party government in Abia on its toes and do what is expected of the state.
Words: “The party national leadership must come to our aide and prevail on aggrieved members to sheathe their swords to ensure the party electoral prospects and success in future election or electoral competitions. And we must put our house in order.
“You don’t expect victory in an election when your house is scattered and divided. There are members who will work sincerely and genuinely for APC success, and there are those who will sabotage the party in its effort to achieve electoral prospects.
“So, party leadership at the national lrvel should summon all factions in Abia chapter of the All Progressives Congress and ensure all interests and issues still fueling the crisis being experienced in the state since 2015 are harmonized and resolved, so as to reposition APC provides constructive opposition to many draconian and anti people policies and programmes of the ruling party government in Abia, which formed parts of its constitutional roles in a democratic clime like ours”.
Continuing, Mr Oji, who is currently challenging the INEC’s declaration of Abia house of assembly standard-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, Hon Mandela Obasi, as the winner of the concluded march 18th 2023 elections at the state election petition tribunal sitting in Umuahia, expressed implicit confidence in tribunal members in dispensing justice and fairness in the lawsuit he instituted before it.
“Am confident the learned jurists and members of the election petition tribunal will toe the path of fairness which at the end of the day will ensure justice prevail pertaining the outcome of the recently-conducted Abia state house of assembly poll for Ohafia north state constituency seat.
He further insisted that Obasi’s purported emergence as the rightful winner of the concluded state assembly election was marred by high scale irregularities, altercation and mutilations of election results in most polling units by disgruntled agents of rival parties in collaboration with corrupt officials of the national electoral commission deployed at various INEC polling centres across Ohafia north constituency.
The frontline Abia politician urged teeming followers and supporters of the All Progressives Congress across the constituency to remain undeterred and continue to pray fervently for God’s intervention as he laid before the election petition tribunal, enough substantial proves to be declared the duly elected member of Abia state house of assembly for Ohafia north constituency seat in the recently-held poll by the Nigerian electoral umpire.
Meanwhile, the party stalwart, Hon Otuwe Kalu Oji, on Friday, applauded the nomination and confirmation of a former member of the house of representatives who represented Isiuakwato/Umunneochi federal constituency, Hon Nkeruika Onyejiocha, as minister-designate by President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian senate respectively.
He described the former fourth-term federal lawmaker best suited and perfect to represent Abia state in the soon-to-be inaugurated federal executive council to be chaired by President Tinubu.
Oji confided that Onyejiocha having demonstrated sterling and uncommon leadership qualities as then commissioner in Abia state and also as federal parliamentarian for four consecutive times.
He therefore encouraged the Abia born minister designate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to bring forward her vast wealths of experiences and expertises in the ongoing efforts by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led APC government in the country to raise the bat in the nation’s economy and engender building of critical infrastructures in enhancing the welfare of Nigerian people and even development in every stratas of the country.
