Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Abia State, has threatened heavy sanction against one of its governorship aspirants who came last in the gubernatorial primaries, Chief Chikwe Udensi, over spurious allegations and blackmail against the party.
Chairman of APGA in the state, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, who addressed the press in Umuahia, advised Udensi to desist from using the media to denigrate the leadership of the party in the state.
Ehiemere said that contrary to claims by Udensi that he has been the financier of APGA in the state, the party “has not received a dime from Udensi for more than three years running.”
The APGA Chairman also denied the allegation by Udensi that the party gave him outrageous conditions, including N2 billion monthly remittances to the party, if he wins the election, before they could give him the governorship ticket.
He described such allegations as blatant falsehood.
“To the best of my knowledge, neither the state nor the national leadership, under Dr Ike Oye, gave him any condition in order to give him the party ticket. This is a blatant lie.”
Ehiemere warned Udensi to stop casting the party in bad light or brace up for sanctions.
Udensi said at the weekend that he had approached the court to determine the legitimate gubernatorial candidate of the party, in the wake of parallel primary elections.
Ehiemere further described the claim by Udensi to have won the May 29 primary election as “misleading, deceptive, fraudulent and ridiculous.”
He argued that the aspirant, who polled 12 votes, disappeared from the venue of the exercise, after he addressed the delegates, alongside other aspirants.
He said that Udensi was uncomfortable when he realised that the delegates list approved by the national leadership for his Arochukwu Ward 3, did not reflect the names he allegedly smuggled in.
Ehiemere said that the “party’s governorship candidate remains Professor Greg Ibe who emerged through a very transparent process.”
He explained that APGA never conducted any parallel governorship primaries, saying that anyone with claims to the contrary is playing to the gallery.
Ehiemere, however, appealed to all those who lost at the primaries to rally behind the party’s flag-bearer instead of allowing themselves to be used by the enemies to scatter the party.
