…Wants Party Leadership To Prevail On Umahi For Equal Treatment

A group under the aegis of “Concern Ebonyi Movement” has raised the alarm that Governor David Umahi-led All Progressive Congress, APC, has abandoned the legacy members of the party in the state, just as it expressed fear that the development portend a grave political danger for the party in the forthcoming party primaries and 2023 general election.

The group subsequently called on the governor to immediately reverse the trend whereby “all local government chairmen are single handedly handpicked without carrying along old members of the APC who had laboured day and night for the party.

The group said it is shocking that the new APC members that joined the party alongside Governor Umahi have continue to boast that there is nothing anybody can do, noting that they enjoy the backing of the national leadership of the party.

The group added that the party must concede some positions to the old APC members if it is serious about winning in the state.

This alarm came on the heel of an alleged plot by the governor to impose an unpopular aspirant as candidates on the party forthcoming primary in the state.

In a statement jointly issued on Friday by the convener, Dr Uchechukwu Nwafor and Emeka Afam, and made available to newsmen in Abakaliki, the group said what the leadership of the party need to do under the watch of Governor Umahi is to provide a level playing field for aspirants vying for political offices in the coming primaries.

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They added that any attempt to arm twist any aspirants may spell doom for the APC.

They also noted that the body language of the governor and those that came with him to the APC seems to suggest that they will not be given equal opportunities to contest for various positions for the 2023 General elections.

The group said should their fear come to be, APC would go into the elections as a fragmented body and thus provide opportunity for the PDP to exploit to their advantage.

They, therefore, called on the national leadership of the ruling party to prevail on governor Umahi to ensure equal treatment for all the party members.

According to the statement, ” It is no longer news that the way and manner the governor who is the leader of the party has acted gives reason to raised this alarm. We deserve to be given the right of first refusal having kept the party alive in the state.

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” Yes, we are eternally grateful to the governor for not only joining the APC, but also for the wonderful work he is doing in the State.

“His infrastructural development as well as people oriented policies have endeared him and the party to the people.

“However, while we commend him on that, he must also not take it for granted that it will not be easy for the party to win the 2023 elections without a fight from the PDP.

“The PDP remain strong in Ebonyi State and the party is also looking for loophole to employ in order to place them in a vantage position to win the poll.

“This is where our worries come in. Governor Umahi must keep the APC united and avoid any anti-democratic tendency that will not augur well for the party”.