Abia APC chieftain, Godson tackles Esiaga over claims on southeast party leaders
By Emeruwa Chinedu Emeruwa
The Interim Abia State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Ben Godson has said Governor of Hope Uzodinma of Imo state is annexing Abia into his political umpire.
He dispelled that party members who emerged as candidates during the 2022 primary elections held for the Abia gubernatorial, national and state assembly seat by were foisted on the patty by the imo governor.
This comes on the heels of the recent claims against southeast APC leaders by a former federal lawmaker from Abia state, Chikwe Esiaga, which contained in an open letter addressed to the national leader of the party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Mr Esiaga had among others, claimed Governor Uzodinma connived with former Abia gubernatorial candidate of the APC, Ikechi Emenike to handpick Hon Donatus Nwankpa as the party’s national welfare Secretary in flagrant violation of the APC constitution which was macro-zoned to Abia state.
Earlier, Mr Godson, in a worded statement issued to journalists during the weekend, berated Esiaga of being economical with the truths in his recent vituperation on notable leaders of the progressives party.
The ex-Abia spokesman fully stated: “I want to react to huge lies spread by one NZE CHIEKWE ESIAGA. I have taken time to read the letter the man sent to our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all I can sense is a man trying to use his desperation to get whatever he feels he wants not minding to destroy anything on the way.
“Before I go deep into countering his obvious lies, I must thank HE President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the cordial relationship he has with our people in the South-East, especially the way he has been relating with our leaders, our governors, national assembly members, our political appointees and all South-East people.
“I thank him for making our people feel at home at the party and we pray God will continue to give him the strength and wisdom to lead Nigeria, a country he has serious passion for. For us in Abia State APC, President Bola Tinubu must succeed and that’s our prayers.
“Let’s go deep with the truth, number one truth is that NZE CHIEKWE ESIAGA is not a foundation member of the APC in Abia State and should remove himself from that list. If he feels he wants to know the history of APC in Abia, people like myself will gladly teach him better.
“Secondly, Abia State APC has never been an appendage of Imo State for any time. The issue here is that people like ESIAGA are afraid of a party with regional strength that will form strong regional leadership to enable us to become stronger on national issues.
“He wants an APC run like a local party in Abia State where they’ll continue to run the party like a common daily market without regional strength that will give it the strength needed. APC is a national party and having strength among Southeast states where the party is stronger in state Executive like Imo and Ebonyi will help us become stronger is very important.
“People like NZE CHIEKWE ESIAGA are completely off on the track and are unable to see that currently, the APC in the South East is now stronger than the party they all feared was untouchable before 2020 in the East and with the current trajectories APC is poised to give a strong contest in the forthcoming Anambra State election and that’s the strength we’re exhibiting.
“Again, even before Governor Hope Uzodimma emerged as Governor of Imo State, nobody in Abia State will claim that he or she doesn’t know that High Chief Ikechi Emenike has been one of APC leaders in the state and at the national level as well.
“So, making up stories as though the election of Gov Uzodimma into power became the making of High Chief Ikechi Emenike in Abia APC is funny because Emenike has been around in APC since 2014.
“From all indications, it is obvious that NZE CHIEKWE ESIAGA was probably sent for one mission, discredit Governor Hope Uzodimma before the presidency and see if APC will be given to those who sent him.
“Again, we need to be careful with politicians who love disunity. From the way he sounds in his letter to the president, you discover a man who feels Imo State and Abia State should fight each other.
“Every right-thinking APC member should look deeply at a worthless claim by ESIAGA that Gov. Hope Uzodimma handpicked candidates for Abia APC for National and State Assembly Primary Elections in 2022.
“From this, ESIAGA is claiming that Gov. Hope Uzodimma handpicked Senator Orji Uzor-Kalu who won his election smoothly as well as Hon. Benjamin Kalu who equally got a landslide victory. We all know how popular these people are within and outside the party. How can ESIAGA ridicule their victories and efforts by claiming that they were handpicked and that there were no primary elections in Abia APC?
“He went as far as saying that Late Senator Arthur Nzeribe, Gov. Uzodimma’s clan’s man tried territorial expansion of Imo State into Abia State and the Satanic Mission into Abia, but they stopped him.
“ESIAGA’s comment like this one, “In this age and time, another Imo son called Hope Uzodinma is on the same satanic mission of dictating what goes on in another state,” is what the South East doesn’t need and party leaders who wish APC well should never be calling for crisis or using the names of people, their states of origin, their clans and people who are dead and can’t defend themselves to create stories that can cause problems.
“To showcase his lack of respect for dead statesmen, he went further to allege that Late Chief F.N Nwosu never deserved his election as the National Welfare Secretary of APC claiming that it was Gov. Uzodimma again that made it possible in what he termed “a flagrant violation of APC Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022.”
“Unfortunately, a man who claims he is a foundation member of the APC went further to say that when Chief F.N Nwosu passed on in 2023, Governor Hope Uzodinma forwarded the name of Chief Donathus Nwankpa as a replacement for the office of National Welfare Secretary of APC without an iota of regard for him and another candidate that ran for the office with Nwosu in Abia.
“If he’s a foundational member of Abia APC, please let’s ask Nze Esiaga who was the merger Chairman, interim Chairman,2 times elected APC Chairman and Caretaker Chairman,Abia State. Where was the said Nze Esiaga when Hon. Donatus Nwankpa and those who were in the State Exco were building a party toiling day and night against odds as we were then called “Boko Haram Party”.
“It’s laughable that the same man who has decided to belittle and insult the Supreme Court of Nigeria and bring its image to ridicule for ruling a case in favour of Gov. Hope Uzodimma in 2020, is currently busy seeking a ruling in another Nigerian Competent Court on a case.
“If the Supreme Court of Nigeria is not just as he claims, what’s he doing in another Nigerian Court to seek for ruling? People must learn to respect constituted authorities and not insult them.
“To show his hatred more, NZE CHIEKWE ESIAGA referred to a Governor who recently won his second term in office as “Supreme Court-appointed Governor of Imo State”, a statement a man of his age who knows the value of the Judiciary as well as what elections are should not have allowed his toddler grandchildren to even say.
“NZE CHIEKWE ESIAGA wrote all these, insulted noble dead men, lied and cast aspersions on notable leadership dead and alive simply because he believed he deserved to be the National Welfare Secretary of APC. Such a man should be looked at properly because desperate people can do anything to acquire anything.
“Even opposition party members in Abia State will marvel and wonder where the name NZE CHIEKWE ESIAGA was imported from should he be given any National Appointment because there is absolutely nobody in Abia State who follows politics that will claim that he knows that name as an active member of APC. Probably in the SDP 1992 but definitely not in the APC.
“Nobody will claim that the South-East is sidelined at the helm of affairs today. I have my proof. Today:
“Our brother Governor Hope Uzodimma is the Chairman of the Progressives Governor’s Forum, who has given South East regional Leadership and he is always present whenever decisions are taken and always represents the South East well.
“Under his leadership as the Chairman Progressives Governor’s Forum, you’ve seen an Economic and Security Workshop for the region organized and South East is currently speaking with one voice through his sound experienced leadership.
“Today, APC has two governors from the South-East, in the South-East we now have a Deputy Speaker. We also occupy some notable positions because we have a strong, experienced and focused political pilot like Gov. Hope Uzodimma who does not play primitive and clannish politics. With his Pan-Nigerian disposition, APC is gradually entering into places people doubted it cannot enter in the South-East and we sincerely believe he’s doing well.
“Our brother Dave Umahi is the Minister of Works and you can see what he’s doing with his position. You can see the changes in our road infrastructure. That’s the capacity we’re talking about. Again, Our brother and leader Sen. Orji Uzor-Kalu and his capacity cannot be overemphasized.
“Our Sister and Leader Rt. Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha Minister of State for Labour and Employment and her capacity cannot be overemphasized.
“Brothers and Sisters are equally ministers like Doris Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment from Imo state, Uche Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science & Technology from Enugu state and Uju Kennedy, Minister of Women Affairs from Anambra state.
“We equally have our Leader HE. Sen. Orji Uzor-Kalu, Our brother, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and his impacts are visible as well. So, we in APC are happy with the current regional leadership and how things are moving because we have the real men and women to serve Nigeria at the National levels and equally represent our people well.
“Our brothers and sisters Abia State APC like our able Leader/ first National Vice Chairman South-East Zone /first APC Governorship Candidate 2015, Dr. Nyerere Anyim.
“Our Leaders from Abia that occupy political positions in national appointments.
1. Rt.Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha,
2. HE. Chris Akomas.
3. Chief. Nyerere Anyim.
4. Prince Paul Ikonne.
5. Chief. Eruba Dimgba
6. Hon. Henry Ogbologbo
“We have men like Rt. Hon. Martins Azubuike who was Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly from 2015 to 2017 on the platform of PDP before he joined Apc in 2017.
“Dr. Uche Ogah joined APC in 2018.
Hon. Goldie Opusunju joined in 2017.
We should not discuss the dead, but Hon. Nonye was not a founding member as NZE CHIEKWE ESIAGA claims.
“I still remember that APC merger Committee members from Abia State in 2013 include:
1. Chf.Nyerere Anyim
2.HE. Chris Akomas
3. Rt. Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka
4.Hon. Ndukwe Adindu.
