Controversy has trailed the PDP House of Assembly primaries in Abia state<\/p>\n
as over 7 sitting members of the House failed to secure tickets which
\nwould enable them fly the flag of the party at the February 28 State
\nAssembly election.<\/p>\n
In the 24 member legislature, out of the 16 members that sought
\nre-election, only 9 emerged candidates of the party from their different
\nconstituencies. Those who won include Deputy Speaker, Asiforo Okere( Ukwa
\nEast); Tony Nwaubani (Ukwa West); Blessing Nwagba (Aba North); Kate
\nMaduako (Aba Central); Nkemdirim Iheasinmuo (Aba South); Emeka Alozie
\n(Osisioma Ngwa South); Martin Azubuike (Isiala Ngwa North); Emeka Ejiogu
\n(Umuahia North) and John Ogele (Isuikwuato)<\/p>\n
Those who lost are the Chief Whip, Ikechukwu Nwabeke (Osisioma Ngwa
\nNorth); Princewill Onuoha (Obingwa East); Emeka Osoagbaka (Ikwuano); Mba
\nUkaha(Ohafia South); Ikedi Ezekwesiri (Umunneochi); Chidi Nwosu (Umuahia
\nSouth). The Leader of the House, Chidiebere Nwoke who was seeking a fourth
\nterm withdrew at the morning of the primaries through repeated
\nannouncement on the state radio.<\/p>\n
The remaining members who did not seek re-election are the Speaker, Rt.
\nHon. Ude Oko Chukwu, (Ohafia North); Grace Uche, (Umuahia Central), Uche
\nNwankpa (Obingwa West) and Ndukwu Ojukwu (Bende North); while the Deputy
\nLeader, Princewill Onyegbu (Bende South); Humphery Azubuike (Ugwunagbo);
\nDarlington Nwokocha (Isiala Ngwa South) and former speaker, Agwu U.Agwu
\n(Arochukwu) are seeking tickets for the House of Representatives to
\nrepresent Bende, Obingwa\/ Osisioma Ngwa\/ Ugwunagbo, Isiala Ngwa North\/
\nIsiala Ngwa South and Arochukwu\/ Ohafia federal constituencies,
\nrespectively.<\/p>\n
Pointblanknews.com gathered that power play characterized the election in
\nmost constituencies leading to majority of the lawmakers kissing the dust.
\nIn Osisioma Ngwa council area, some of the stakeholders including the
\nstate deputy chairman of the party, Chief Allen Nwachukwu was said to have
\nresisted the third term ambition of Dr. Ikechukwu Nwabeke, who remains one
\nof the most vibrant legislators ever produced in the state. In Obingwa
\nEast state constituency, it was a bitter experience for Princewill Onuoha
\nwhose third term ambition fell like a pack of cards as he lost woefully to
\na former member of the House, Solomon Akpulonu.<\/p>\n
Sources hint that Onuoha was the architect of his own misfortune as he is
\nsaid to have abandoned the camp of his benefactor and two time deputy
\ngovernor of the state, Chief Eric Acho Nwakanma. The sources added that
\nwith a strong candidate like Akpulonu, a former member of the House known
\nfor his political wizardry, Onuoha stood no chance without the former
\ndeputy governor\u2019s support when all the stakeholders in the constituency
\nwere falling over themselves to back Akpulonu\u2019s return. Nwakanma who is a
\nPDP governorship aspirant is said to be annoyed with Onuoha for abandoning
\nhis camp for that of his rivals.<\/p>\n
The same power play also affected Hon. Emeka Osoagbaka, a first term
\nmember representing Ikwuano state constituency as he was said not to be in
\ngood books of the stakeholders in the area including the PDP National Vice
\nChairman South East, Col. Austin Akobundu who withdrew their support for
\nhim.<\/p>\n
In Umuahia South state constituency, Hon. Chidi Nwosu\u2019s attempt to enjoy a
\nthird tenure also crashed as he failed to get the support of stakeholders
\nlike the former PDP national chairman, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor. It is no
\nsurprise that he lost to the former TC chairman of the council, Jerry
\nUzosike.<\/p>\n
One of Nwosu\u2019s constituents who gave his name as Lucky said the former was
\nopenly pleading with the stakeholders and delegates to support him because
\nhe was sure of emerging Speaker of the House in 2015 but the people
\nrejected him because according to them, he could not be trusted. In
\nUmunneochi constituency, Ikedi Ezekwesiri was alleged to have lost as a
\nresult of his poor relationship with his constituents.<\/p>\n
Another factor which played a determining role in the election was the
\nissue of rotation of political offices among the electoral wards of the 24
\nconstituencies of the state. Sitting members like Mba Ukaha, House Leader,
\nChidiebere Nwoke, and Chief Whip, Dr. Ikechukwu Nwabeke were said to have
\nlost as some stakeholders insisted that they must give way to others to
\nhave a share of the national cake.<\/p>\n
Out of the 9 returnees, Deputy Speaker, Asiforo Okere (Ukwa East) appears
\nto be a cat with nine lives as nobody gave him a chance against the fierce
\nonslaught of the former senate president, Chief Adolf Wabara, ASOPADEC
\nchairman, Chief Emeka Stanley, among other chieftains of the party who
\nwere said to have vowed that he won\u2019t get a fourth stint at the House.<\/p>\n
Among those who resigned state government appointments to run for the
\nelections, former Information and Strategy Commissioner, Eze Chikamnayo
\nwho contested the Umunneochi state constituency seat could not get the
\nsupport of his people while former Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief
\nCosmas Ndukwe was returned as the PDP candidate for Bende North state
\nconstituency.<\/p>\n
For now, there have been jubilations in the camps of the successful
\ncandidates while those who could not make it lament their fate even as
\nmajority of them continue to allege that they were schemed out of the
\ncontest.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Controversy has trailed the PDP House of Assembly primaries in Abia state as over 7 sitting members of the House failed to secure tickets which would enable them fly the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n