Emenike Hosts Abia APC Candidates, Stakeholders, Harps on Unity to Win 2023 Poll

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 election in Abia State, Chief Ikechi Emenike, has urged party leaders, candidates and stakeholders to consolidate on the prevailing unity to achieve victory in 2023.

He gave the charge yesterday when he hosted the candidates of Abia APC for the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly as well as stakeholders and party elders at his country home in Umukabia Okpuala to further solidify the newfound harmony in the party.

The leader of Abia APC urged the party faithful to sustain the momentum of peace and unity brought about by the recent Ntalakwu declaration in Oboro which effectively sealed the cracks hitherto existing in the party.

“This party belongs to all of us. We must go out there and work hard to ensure that we emerged victorious at the 2023 general election,” he said, adding that party members have a duty to attract enough votes to deliver all APC candidates.

He assured party members that every issue arising from the primary election of Abia APC has been settled and the names of all the candidates that emerged from the primaries have been uploaded to INEC portal and acknowledged by the electoral umpire.

As proof that Abia APC candidates are standing on solid ground, Emenike and the Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, jointly presented to the candidates letters of acknowledgement of their candidatures by INEC.

“What remains now is for us to go and win the victory,”he said, adding that all party candidates must be ready to make personal sacrifices in contribution to the overall electoral success of the party.

Emenike said that he remains the only recognised governorship candidate of Abia APC and it is illegal for any other person to appropriate such. He specifically urged the media to stop indulging imposters who claim to be governorship candidates with no certificate of return to show as evidence.

Hon Onyejeocha, in her remarks expressed delight that the estranged party members “are now with us” following the reconciliation and collapsing of their parallel structure into the recognised leadership of Emenike and Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu as state party chairman.

“Abia APC is one. There is no parallel structure in Abia APC (and) the NWC of the party has said so,” she said.

According to her, there is no permanent adversary in politics but permanent interest and the common interest that binds all Abia APC members “is Abia Government House, which is now within reach.”

The House Deputy Chief Whip, who represents Isuikwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency, called on Abia APC faithful “to work very hard as there is no shortcut to victory” at the polls, saying that God would always crown hard work with victory.

The National Welfare Officer of APC, Mr. Friday Nwosu, stated that the candidature of High Chief Emenike was “never in doubt” and every other (gubernatorial) “ambition has been buried”.

He said that the battle facing the main Abia opposition party now is to achieve victory for all its candidates and take full control of governance in God’s Own State in 2023.

Several other party chieftains that spoke at the event underlined the need for Abia APC members to actively engage in full mobilisation of voters to use their ballots and put APC in Abia Government House come 2023.