2023: House Member Faults APC’s Attempt to Substitute His Name

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

A member of the  House of Representatives Committee and House Committee Chair on  Climate Change, Chief Sam Onuigbo, has raised the alarm over alleged attempt by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to  substitute his name with one Emeka Atuma.

Onuigbo stated this while addressing journalists yesterday  in Abuja, following the recent attempts by the ruling party to upload on the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) names of aspirants that did not participate in valid primaries.

He stated categorically that the attempt to supplant genuine winners of party’s primaries was tantamount to political gangsterism.

“We were supposed to hold the primaries on May 28th, which was the date announced by APC national headquarters in the notice for the primary. But, due to some bottlenecks, the chairman of the panel from Abuja, Hon. Izu Okeke, consulted with all of us and resolved, let’s do this tomorrow, so as to overcome the bottlenecks.

“So, by the next day, we had the election and at the end of the day, I won. I defeated my closest opponent, Chief Henry Ikoh, by 157 to 152 votes. That was it. The Electoral Panel submitted their report signed by all five members to the office of the National Organising Secretary.

“They listed those of us who were returned or elected as candidates for the three senatorial zones, namely, Chief Sam Onuigbo for Abia Central, Senator Orji Uzo Kalu, Abia North and Blessing Nwagba Abia for Abia South. The office of the National Organising Secretary received the result and acknowledge it,” Onuigbo stated.

Onuigbo said  as a confirmation of the fact that he was the candidate of the party, he was  issued  Form EC9, which was from INEC, and only issued to successful candidates.

He declared that only nine aspirants were cleared by the APC national headquarters as those who bought forms, completed the forms, returned the forms, invited for screening and were screened and cleared by the party to stand for senatorial primary election in Abia State.

The aspirants, according to Onuigbo, included, “Ijeaku Gift Emaba; Enyinnaya Michael Kasarachi; Samuel Ifeanyi Onuigbo; Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh; Kelvin Chima Ugboaja; Okonkwo Fabian; Sen Nkechi Justina Nwaogu; Sen. Orji Uzo Kalu and Nwagba Blessing Oluchi.

“Out of this nine, four of us came from Abia Central, these are myself, Chief Samuel Onuigbo, Chief Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh, Senator Nkechi Justina Nwaogu and Chief Kelvin Chima Ugboaja. A few days to the election, Senator Nkechi Justina Nwaogu, wrote and withdrew from the election, then Chief Kelvin Chima Ugboaja did not make it to the election. He was not seen because he didn’t come for the election,

“So it was just Chief Henry Ikoh and myself that stood for the election and at the end of the day, I defeated Chief Henry Ikoh, by 157 to his 152 votes,” Onuigbo said, adding that, it was strange that the name of someone, who did not buy nomination forms for the Senate, never participated in the preliminary processes was uploaded on INEC’s server.

“It is, therefore, so strange that someone, who did not buy nomination forms for the Senate, never participated in the preliminary processes, will drop from the sky and had his name listed to substitute my own name. It is one of the strangest things I have ever seen.”