By Steve Oko

One of the governorship aspirants of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Abia State, Chief Dan Eke, has vowed that the party would not get away without a huge price for its alleged impunity and lack of due process in the governorship primary.

He vowed not to allow people to fly the party’s governorship flag illegally or smuggle themselves into the seat of power through the back door.

The US-based Accountant who said he hated injustice with passion was reacting to the December 23 judgement of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja which set aside the judgment of justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High court in Abuja that had earlier declared Dr Uche Ogah the duly nominated candidate of the APC.

The court in the suit marked CA/Abj/CV/1297/2022
maintained that the direct primaries that produced Ogah were invalid by reasons of non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act in the conduct of direct primaries by the state EXCO instead of the National Executive Committee, and non-holding of a special Congress by National to ratify the direct primaries as stipulated by the Electoral Act.

The Appeal Court judgment allowed Eke’s case to succeed meritoriously.

Eke insisted that both Emenike and Ogah should not be allowed to fly the party’s flag in 2023, claiming that none of them emerged through a credible due process.

He said he would remain in APC and fight impunity and imposition to encourage transparency and internal democracy.

Recall that while Chief Ikechi Emenike emerged through indirect primary, Dr Ogah emerged through indirect primary, and the duo lay claims to be APC ticket.

The parallel primaries have remained a subject of multiple litigations some of which are still pending in the courts.

Eke had taken Emenike to the Federal High Court Umuahia and the Court of Appeal Owerri respectively but lost in both courts before moving to the Supreme Court where the matter is awaiting final abdication.

Chief Eke in the suit, SC/CV/1670/22, is also seeking to nullify both the direct and indirect governorship primaries conducted by Ogah and Emenike respectively, arguing that none of them met the requirements of the party guidelines, the Electoral Act, and the Constitution of the APC.

Justice Binta Nyako of Abuja Federal High Court, had after the Federal High Court Umuahia, and the Court of Appeal Owerri had respectively ruled in favour of Emenike in the suits before them, declared Ogah the authentic candidate of APC.

Chief Eke who maintains his strong membership of the APC warned that the party might not field any governorship candidate in Abia in 2023 because of impunity.

“Efforts of both Ogah and Emenike to smuggle themselves through the back door and foist themselves as governorship candidates of the APC amount to building castles in the air. This is laughable and can never transmute into reality”, he vowed.

Eke pledged his unflinching support for the presidential candidate of APC, Ahmed Tinubu; and his running mate, Kashim Shettima.

He, however, warned that should APC not field governorship candidate in 2023, Abia votes for Tinubu would be affected negatively, hence the need for the party’s national leadership to wade in and find a political solution among Eke, Emenike and Ogah before the Supreme Court gives its verdict in his pending appeal.