Concerns In Abia APC Over Candidate Substitution Plot

There are concerns in the Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over alleged plans to substitute Hon Samuel Ifeanyi Onuigbo with Hon. Emeka Atuma as the party’s Senatorial candidate for the Abia Central Senatorial district even as the parties await the ruling of the Supreme Court this Friday January 27.

This comes as the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Organisation has been parading Atuma as one of the three senatorial candidates in Abia and used his photographs on various posters during Tinubu’s campaign in the state last Tuesday.

Also, Onuigbo was removed from the list of all 31 APC contestants for elective offices: three for Senate; eight for House of Representatives and 24 for House of Assembly.

Party stalwarts in Abia are worried that the APC leaders should have waited for the ruling of the highest court in the land.

A party stalwart, who spoke on condition of anonymity expressed concern that the APC may suffer in the state if acts contrary to the provisions of the court are imposed on the party.

It would be recalled that in a ruling on November 30, 2022, in the case marked CA/OW/404/2022 between Hon. Samuel Ifeanyi Onuigbo (Appellant) and APC, Independent National Electoral Commission and Hon. Emeka Atuma (respondents), Justice Rita Nosakhare Pemu of the Court of Appeal in Owerri had declared null and void the unilateral substitution of the Onuigbo’s name as the  validly elected candidate for that of the 3rd respondent who never participated in the primary election of the 1st Respondent for the Abia Central Senatorial District held on the 28 of May 2022.

The judge ruled further: “That the election result submitted by the 2nd Respondent (INEC) on the 16th of June 2022 parading the name of the 3rd Respondent (Atuma) as the candidate of the 1st Respondent (APC) in the Abia Central Senatorial district is hereby nullified and set aside.

“That the 2nd Respondent (INEC) is hereby restrained from recognising the 3rd Respondent whose name was sent by the 1st Respondent to the 2nd Respondent as the candidate and the winner of the !st Respondent primary election held on the 7th of June 2022 as the Appellant was validly declared winner of the primary election of the 1st Respondent  for Abia Central Senatorial District held on the 28th and 29th of May 2022 which is valid and subsisting.

“That the 2nd Respondent is hereby ordered to immediately include the name of the Appellant as the candidate of the 1st Respondent for the Abia Central Senatorial district, the appellant having emerged winner of the primary of the 1st Respondent held on the 28th and 29th of May 2022.

“That the 2nd Respondent (INEC) is hereby ordered to publish the name of the appellant Hon Samuel Ifeanyi Onuigbo as the winner and valid candidate of the 1st Respondent for the Abia Central Senatorial district primary election and the 2023 General election.”

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Atuma approached the Supreme Court. But rather than wait for the ruling of the apex court, the APC seems to have ignored all the judge’s orders and has been parading Atuma as its candidate and included him in all campaign activities in and outside.