Emmanuel Ifeanyi 
…drums up support for Uzodimma’s regional input in the party
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Abia State chapter has praised President Bola Tinubu for what it termed his inclusive governance, stressing that under his leadership, members of the party from the South-East Region now feel at home at the party following a sense of belonging the president gave to everyone.
The Abia APC also hailed the Chairman of the Progressives Governor’s Forum and Imo State Governor, Sen. Hope Uzodimma for standing strong as a regional figure in the party and for adopting a Pan-Nigerian focused leadership which has seen APC penetrate the region more than expected.
Addressing newsmen in Aba on Friday, Comrade Benedict Godson, the interim Abia State Publicity Secretary of APC, two times elected State Publicity and Caretaker State Publicity Secretary of the party in Abia State said that the APC in South East is currently doing better than ever as a political party since its formation.
Reacting to a petition to President Bola Tinubu by one Nze Chiekwe Esiaga, who was a House of Representatives member from Abia State in 1992 against Governor Hope Uzodimma over an alleged meddlesomeness and interference in Abia APC and plot of annexation of the state into Imo, making Abia an appendage of Imo, Godson described such claims as clannish and primitive.
Godson said that despite all the early challenges faced by the APC in the South East, boasting of two state governors, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ministers with notable positions and portfolios, so many elected National Assembly and State Assembly Members, top political appointees are all signs that the regional leadership and network of the union in the region is working perfectly well.
He said that for states like Abia where APC is yet to get the seat of governor, the strength and support from states like Imo and Ebonyi where the party is in control of executive power cannot be overemphasized, stressing that Governor Hope Uzodimma has supported the party well at all times.
Godson cautioned that political leaders who make inflammatory statements at this critical time especially by disparaging the names of dead statesmen and bringing them to ridicule because they are resting in the grave and cannot defend themselves should desist from such because death is inevitable.
He stressed the point in Esiaga’s petition where he described Late Senator Arthur Nzeribe as having a satanic mission in Abia State in 1992 and the point in the petition where Esiaga claimed that Late Barr. Friday Nwosu was not duly elected as APC Nat something that is capable of causing pain for their families as well as igniting problems.
“People like Nze Chiekwe Esiaga are completely off on the track and are unable to see that currently, the APC in the South East is now stronger than one particular party they all feared was untouchable before 2020 in the East. With the current trajectories, APC is poised to give a strong contest in the forthcoming Anambra State election and that’s the strength we’re exhibiting Welfare Secretary is
“From all indications, it is obvious that he was probably sent for one mission, discredit Governor Hope Uzodimma before the presidency and see if APC will be given to those who sent him.
“Under his leadership as the Chairman of Progressives Governor’s Forum, you’ve seen an Economic and Security Workshop for the region organized and South East is currently speaking with one voice through his sound experienced leadership.
“Today, APC has two governors from the South-East, in the South-East we now have a Deputy Speaker. We also occupy some notable positions because we have a strong, experienced and focused political pilot like Gov. Hope Uzodimma who does not play primitive and clannish politics. With his Pan-Nigerian disposition, APC is gradually entering places people doubted it could not enter in the South-East, and we sincerely believe he’s doing well.”
Godson said that as things stand today, nobody will claim that the South-East is sidelined at the helm of affairs, stressing that Uzodimma as the Chairman of the Progressives Governor’s Forum has given South East regional Leadership as he is always present whenever decisions are taken and always represents the South East well.
He stressed further that every right-thinking APC member and leader should look deeply at a claim by Esiaga that Governor Uzodimma hand-picked candidates for Abia APC for National and State Assembly Primary Elections in 2022.
“From this, Esiaga is claiming that Gov. Hope Uzodimma hand-picked Senator Orji Uzor-Kalu who won his election smoothly as well as Hon. Benjamin Kalu who equally got a landslide victory.
“We all know how popular these people are within and outside the party. How can Esiaga ridicule their victories and efforts by claiming that they were hand-picked by the Governor of Imo State and that there were no primary elections in Abia APC? This is not true.”
Godson said that Esiaga’s allegations that Gov. Uzodimma forwarded the name of Chief Donathus Nwankpa as a replacement for Late Nwosu in the office of National Welfare Secretary without consulting himself and those he described as foundational members of APC shows the bitterness of a man who is yet to recover from the fact that he lost to the late Nwosu during the contest for that position.
“If he’s a foundational member of Abia APC as he claimed, please let’s ask Nze Esiaga who was the merger Chairman, interim Chairman, two times elected APC Chairman and Caretaker Chairman of Abia State. Where was the said Nze Esiaga when Chief Donatus Nwankpa and those who were in the State Exco were building a party toiling day and night against odds as we were then called Boko Haram Party in our own land?
“Even opposition party members in Abia State will marvel and wonder where the name Esiaga was imported from should he be given any National Appointment because there is absolutely nobody in Abia State who follows politics that will claim that he knows that name as an active member of APC. Probably in the SDP 1992 but definitely not in the APC.
“He wrote all these, insulted noble dead men, lied and cast aspersions on notable leadership dead and alive simply because he believed he deserved to be the National Welfare Secretary of APC. Such a man should be looked at properly because desperate people can do anything to acquire anything
“To show his hatred more, Esiaga referred to a Governor who recently won his second term in office as “Supreme Court-Appointed Governor of Imo State”, a statement a man of his age who knows the value of the Judiciary as well as what elections are should not have allowed his toddler grandchildren to even say.
“It’s laughable that the same man who has decided to belittle and insult the Supreme Court of Nigeria and bring its image to ridicule for ruling a case in favour of Gov. Hope Uzodimma in 2020, is currently busy seeking a ruling in another Nigerian Competent Court on a case about a position in the APC.”
Godson hailed the impacts of APC leaders from the South-East in political positions like Gov. Hope Uzodimma, Gov. Ogbonnaya Nwaifuru, Senator Orji Uzor-Kalu, Engineer Dave Umahi, the Minister of Works, Rt. Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Doris Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment from Imo state, Uche Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science & Technology from Enugu state and Uju Kennedy, Minister of Women Affairs from Anambra state.
