The apex Ukwa and Ngwa sociopolitical organization, Ukwa la Ngwa Elders Council, has denied endorsing any governorship candidate for Abia State in the coming general elections.
Chairman of the council and former deputy national chairman of the defunct Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN), Dr. Max Nduaguibe stated this yesterday in a press statement issued in Umuahia, the state capital
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the election, Prof Uche Ikonne and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, who openly influenced and masterminded his emergence are both from Ukwa la Ngwa.
Nduaguibe was reacting to reports that some prominent members of the council had announced the endorsement of the candidature of Ikonne.
“Events of the last few days have made it necessary that certain clarifications are made. We believe that a true elder should not prevaricate, show desperation or let selfish interest override group interest,” he said.
Nduaguibe explained that even if they had attempted to do so, it would not have been a candidate who told a committee of the council on August 9, 2022, that he was not prepared for the office until he was asked to run.
He said the committee on the said date met with Engr. EnyinnayaChimaNwafor of the Young Progressives (YPP) and Ikonne out of the three Ngwa candidates at the palace of Archbishop Isaac Nwaobia, the Anglican Archbishop of Aba province.
He said at least 80 percent of the personalities including Eric AchoNwakanma praised Nwafor’s outstanding presentation to the extent that if they had voted on that day, “the confession of Ikonne about his (un)preparedness would have marred whatever chances he would have had.”
The former aspirant, who said this would have happened “if they had put the university don side by side with the brilliant performance of Nwafor,” added: “That I on my own deliberately avoided us putting it into vote until our next meeting.”
He argued that in the estimation of the majority of the personalities, Nwafor was coherent, showed class, exuded preparedness and demonstrated absolute understanding of how a governor could within the shortest possible time impact positively on the lives of the citizens.
According to him, even the former two-time deputy governor of the state and a strong supporter of Ikonne, Chief Nwakanma was very impressed with Nwafor’s performance and publicly confessed same.
“Let the general public be informed that Ukwa la Ngwa Council of Elders has not endorsed and has no plans of endorsing any Abiaguber candidate. Our impression of the candidates who appeared before the committee is already known.
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