APC, LP lock horns over party crisis, insecurity

The Abia State chapters of the All Progressives Congress and Labour Party have locked horns over insecurity in the state.

This follows a statement by the LP calling on the APC to ensure that its ongoing internal political disagreements do not degenerate into actions capable of threatening the peace and security currently being enjoyed by Abians.

However in swift response, the APC described LP statement as “laughable and hypocritical”.

In the LP press statement titled, ‘APC’S governorship tussle must not threaten peace in Abia’, and signed by the Publicity Secretary, Iroegbu Emenike, the party noted, “In recent weeks, the public space has been flooded with conflicting statements, media exchanges, and political grandstanding by various interest groups within the APC over who should emerge as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election”.

According to the LP, supporters of former Minister of State for Science and Technology, Chief Henry Ikoh, and those backing Chief Eric Opah have continued to engage in public exchanges, with both camps vigorously attacking each other via the media.

The Labour Party noted, “It is public knowledge that one of the major factors fuelling the crisis within the Abia APC is the widespread perception that the party abandoned many of its long standing and loyal members in favour of individuals perceived to have acquired political influence through financial muscle.

“The merchandising of party tickets from the House of Assembly to governorship and the preference for the highest bidders over committed party faithful have continued to generate resentment, division, and internal conflicts within the party.

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“This unfortunate situation reflects a clear failure of leadership and internal party management within the Abia APC, the consequences of which are now manifesting in the ongoing struggle for the party’s governorship ticket.

“As a responsible ruling party, we are not interested in knowing who emerges as the candidate of the APC or any other political party. However, we are concerned about the safety of Abians and residents, especially when political disagreements begin to spill into the public domain in a manner capable of heating up the polity.

“We therefore advise all Abia APC stakeholders, leaders, and supporters to conduct their political engagements responsibly and ensure that their differences are resolved within the framework of their party structures without disturbing public peace or causing anxiety among citizens”.

However, the APC in its reaction through a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Uche Aguoru, laughed off  the Labour Party’s “feign concern over the internal affairs of our great party while conveniently ignoring the growing undemocratic practices, dictatorship, intimidation, and political manipulations that have become the hallmark of the Labour Party administration in Abia State”.

APC added, “The Labour Party and the Alex Otti administration must understand that their heavily funded attempts to infiltrate, destabilise and create confusion within the APC have failed woefully. What they have succeeded in doing is wasting scarce state resources on a futile political adventure that has yielded no result”.

It added, “Rather than prepare to defend its record before the electorate, the Labour Party administration has resorted to its now familiar tactics of intimidation of opposing voices, destabilisation of opposition parties, funding internal crisis within opposition parties, and the buying of weak and unprincipled politicians from opposition parties using state resources”.

“The APC remains peaceful, united, and committed to democratic principles. No amount of intimidation, propaganda, sponsored attacks, or state-sponsored crisis will distract us from our mission of returning the seat of government from Nvosi to Umuahia.”