The Abia State of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has asked the authorities of the Nigerian police to initiate the manhunt and arrest of the state factional Governorship candidate of the APC, Ikechi Emenike, hinging the demand on alleged forgery of indirect Gubernatorial primary elections submitted by the national leadership of the governing party in the country to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Abia APC also asked the authority of the Nigeria police to effect the arrest of Emenike, and alongside with the state factional chairman of the party, Kingsley Ononogbu, Chief Tony Tome Obiefuna and Hon Chief Chidi Avajah, for allegedly aiding and abetting Emenike to impersonate and be parading as APC candidate in Abia state for the March 2023 Gubernatorial elections across the states in Nigeria federation.
The demand by the leadership of the Abia APC comes barely three weeks ago a federal high court in Abuja sacked Mr Ikechi Emenike who was the immediate past Pro-chancellor and the chairman, Board Council of University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) in Enugu state and affirmed an ex-Nigerian minister, Dr Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah, following the outcome of the parallel gubernatorial primaries which took place on 26th May 2022.
Recall before now, a federal high court presided by Honorable Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako in Abuja, while delivering her judgement in a lawsuit challenging the legality of the conducted parallel APC gubernatorial primary election which took place in May 26th, 2022, and also produced two candidates of the party for the next year’s elections in the state, ruled that it was in total disobedience to a letter forwarded by the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that it would adopt a direct mode of the primary election in the state.
The lawsuit which sacked Emenike as Governorship candidate of the APC in Abia state was filed by the immediate past Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr Uche Sampson Ogah.
The FCT high court also held that the direct primary election of 26th and 27th May 2022, which produced Ogah, was valid as the Resident Electoral Commissioner in charge of Abia State endorsed it.
Against the backdrops of his sack by the federal high court in Abuja, the factional Governorship candidate of the APC in Abia state, Ikechi Emenike had late November 2022, filed an appeal against the verdict of Hon Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, seeking the order of a court of appeal for restoration of his names, details and documents in the ballots as the main candidate of the Progressive party in the state for the March 2023 governorship election by INEC.
Earlier, while hinting on its current demand on prompt arrest of the Abia party leaders which contained in a petition addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Abia state headquarters, the Abia chapter of the All Progressives Congress, lambasted Mr Emenike and co-travellers over the alleged forgery of results of the conducted indirect gubernatorial primary election of the party and continued impersonation, and also reiterated the avowed and undeterred determination by the party in the state to ensure justice prevail and as well put APC in the right path of progress, and togetherness especially now the 2023 general elections is fast-approaching.
The Abia APC noted with regret that its leadership in the state is embarrassed on the recent anti-party of these party men hence the party considered it now pertinent and imperative petitioning the Nigeria police on the alleged forgery offence against the Abia factional APC chairman, Kingsley Ononogbu, Emenike and his gang of loyalists, in order to save itself from destructive plots of these party chieftains which is design to curry cheap and selfish political gains ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The APC partly stated, “the Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress is embarrassed with their actions. And that is why a petition was written against them to the police on the 12th of November 2022 on the above forgery case. Ononogbu and his group was bill to appear in the police station to defend themselves on Thursday the 15th day of December 2022, rather they choose to be on the run.
“No amount of their hidings from security summons over the alleged forgery case established against them will deter the security agencies in the state not to investigate the falsification of results of the conducted gubernatorial primary election held in Abia state, informing a lawsuit will be instituted against them soon in a court of competent jurisdiction.”