By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The Interim Publicity Secretary and founding member of the All Progressive Congress APC Abia state Chapter, Comrade Benedict Godson, has debunked claims of alleged interference in the affairs of the party in the State by the Governor of Imo State , Senator Hope Uzodima. He described such insinuations as the handiwork of discredited political actors desperate for political appointments
Comrade Godson spoke against the backdrop of allegations of meddlesomeness and manipulations of the affairs of the party in Abia state leveled against the Imo state Governor, Uzodinma, by an Abia APC stalwart Nze Chiekwe Esiaga.
An open letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu dated January 30 2024 entitled” Governor Hope Uzodinma’s Interference On Abia APC Matters And His Annexation Of The State Are Unacceptable To Abians” accused the Imo State Governor of playing god by way of his alleged incessant interference and meddlesomess in Abia APC affairs thereby creating the ugly impression that Abia State is now an appendage of Imo .
According to Nze Esiaga, Governor Uzodinma, is working with Chief Ikechi Emenike and has been dictating the direction the APC affairs in Abia should tilt ,citing such high profile appointments like late Chief FN Nwosu as National Welfare Officer of APC, and his subsequent replace with Hon Donatus Nwankpa as veritable examples.
” In every thirteen- member Federal Commission in Nigeria, one joint is for Abia and imo states . For example,Federal Civil Service Commission and National Assembly Service Commission.
Both States share the slots alternatively. But Governor Uzodinma took the two positions to Imo State without any regard to equity, justice and fairness.
“Governor Uzodinma insisted that Chief Ikechi Emenike must be the Abia State Governorship candidate of APC in 2023 without minding the obvious fact that Ikechi had no electoral value that would earn him victory .
“The results of the Gubernatorial elections, along side our poor performance in the presidential election is now a food for thought” Nze Esiaga stated.
Esiaga further noted that with the imminent appointment of Federal Boards members around the corner, Governor Uzodinma has allegedly compiled lists of people to be selected from Abia state .
But Comrade Godson said Nze Eziaga is only driven by anger over his failure to become the National Welfare Officer, just as he has insisted that the desire for appointment is the driving force behind Esiaga’s invectives on Governor Uzodinma
The Abia APC Spokesman,asserted that Abia has never been an appendage of Imo state, accusing Nze Esiaga of only being afraid of APC becoming a party with regional strength, and regional leadership.
“What Esiaga and others like him want is for Abia APC to be run like a local party where they will continue to run the party like a common daily market without regional strength that will give it the strength needed.
“APC is a National Party and having strength among South-east States where the party is stronger in State Executive like Imo and Ebonyi will help us become stronger is very important.
“People like Esiaga are completely off the track and are unable to see that currently the APC in the South-east is now stronger than the party they all feared and treated as a pariah before 2020 .APC is set to give a strong challenge in the forthcoming Anambra state Gubernatorial election and that is the strength we are exhibiting ” Godson stated.
The Abia APC Interim Publicity Scribe ,is of the view that instead of unmerited and misdirected attacks on Governor Uzodinma, he rather deserves accolades for strengthening and repositioning APC in the SouthEast in cohort with other party stalwarts ,adding that it will amount to unjustly detracting from the huge political values of some renowned Abia APC members to attribute their electoral fortunes to an alleged manipulative activities of the Imo state Governor.
“It is uncharitable to insinuate as Esiaga did that Governor Uzodinma influenced the election of the Abia APC State Working Committee SWC and the Primary elections that produced candidates for the party during the 2023 elections.
“In the first instance ,every body is aware that even before Uzodinma became Governor, the the party organs were firmly controlled by Ikechi Emenike. Meaning that Governor Uzodinma had no hand in its composition.
“Again ,to say that the emergence as APC flag bearers and subsequent elections of such political actors like Senator Orji Uzoh Kalu and Rt Hon Ben Kalu the Deputy Speaker of the House if Representatives were dependent on the influence of Governor Uzodinma is to say the least insulting to their political trajectories.
“I believe that Governor Uzodinma should be celebrated for working assiduously in conjunction with others in integrating the South East region into main stream APC Politics.” Godson noted.
