The much taunted peace recorded by the Abia State chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC, has been threatened by a purported endorsement of a candidate ahead of the 2027 elections by a group within the party.
Reacting to the development, a stalwart of the party and governorship aspirant, Sir Mascot Uzor Kalu, described it as a kangaroo endorsement.
In a statement he personally issued, Kalu said “a so-called stakeholders’ meeting being convened in Umuahia, where members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) State Executive, LGA Chairmen, and other handpicked party stakeholders have been reportedly instructed to mobilise 20 persons per ward under the belief that the meeting is about the presidential campaigns for the reelection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
He however rejected the April 12, move on the ground that, “Credible information available to me indicates that this gathering is nothing more than a premeditated plan to foist an aspirant on the party through an endorsement charade.”
Kalu warned, “any premeditated consensus arrangement orchestrated by the APC State Working Committee (SWC) and stakeholders, without the participation of all aspirants contesting for the same position, is illegitimate, unacceptable, and null and void ab initio. Such an imposition will be met with stiff and unequivocal resistance.
“The APC in Abia must not be reduced to a tool for personal ambition or manipulated to serve narrow interests. Party executives were elected to uphold fairness, internal democracy, and due process, not to act as agents of endorsement for any individual.
“I therefore caution the Abia APC SWC to desist from actions that could undermine party unity and credibility. The era of coercion, backdoor arrangements, and political puppetry is over. As elected custodians of the party structure, members of the SWC must remain neutral and refrain from dancing to the tune of any aspirant.
“I stand firm with all Abians; no amount of intimidation will make me step down. Every Abian has the constitutional right to run for any political office they deem fit. We shall not be cajoled into believing that one individual, who is not prepared to run for office, is now the anointed candidate.
“The APC SWC is hereby warned to desist from attending any pro-group meetings, especially those convened by aspirants. The integrity of our party is non-negotiable, and any attempt to subvert it will be strongly challenged.”
