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Former Minister of State for Science and Technology and governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh, has formally submitted a petition to the party’s Governorship Primary Election Appeal Committee, challenging the declaration of Chief Eric Opah as the winner of the primary in Abia State.
In the petition that he submitted, Ikoh stated that he was duly adopted as the consensus governorship candidate of the party by 13 out of the 18 members of the State Working Committee (SWC) in line with the provisions and guidelines of the APC.
He insisted that the overwhelming endorsement by the majority of the members of the SWC followed extensive consultations among party stakeholders across the state, adding that the adoption was aimed at ensuring unity, fairness, and the emergence of a broad-based and acceptable candidate ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The former minister expressed shock over the subsequent declaration of another aspirant as winner of the primary despite what he described as a valid and duly documented consensus arrangement overwhelmingly backed by the party leadership in the state.
According to him, he was also the popular choice of APC voters in Abia during the primary, wondering how another person was declared winner against the will of the people.
His petition to the Appeal Committee, he averred, was necessary to protect the integrity of the party’s internal democratic process and to ensure that equity, justice and due process prevail in APC.
Part of the petition reads, “I remain a loyal and committed member of the APC, and my decision to approach the Appeal Committee is borne out of the need to uphold the truth and safeguard the credibility of our great party. The consensus arrangement that produced my candidature was genuine, lawful, and supported by 13 out of 18 SWC members”.
He therefore called on members of the party and his supporters across Abia State to remain calm, peaceful, and confident in the ability of the APC leadership and the Appeal Committee to dispense justice fairly and transparently.
“I will remain committed to the unity, peace and progress of the APC”, Ikoh maintained, even as he expressed optimism that the matter would be resolved in accordance with the party’s constitution and established guidelines.
