There are strong indications that former minister of state for mines and steel development, Mr Uche Ogah, has returned back to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and endorsed its governorship candidate, Dr Okechukwu Ahiwe, for the March 11 polls.
Among other indicators, Ogah’s billboards in the state now wear the PDP’s governorship flag bearer, Ahiwe.
One of the billboards located at the Imo/Abia border towards Owerrinta has been replaced with Ahiwe’s banner while Ogah’s two billboards at Ogbor Hill, Aba have equally been converted to the use of the PDP candidate.
The development came a few days after he lost his bid to claim the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State at the Supreme Court.
The apex court had on February 9, 2023 in a unanimous verdict affirmed High Chief Ikechi Emenike as the duly nominated governorship candidate of the APC in Abia State.
With Emenike’s victory, Ogah was expected to congratulate him and join hands with his party’s candidate to win the forthcoming governorship poll in Abia.
The chairman of Abia APC, Dr Kingsley Ononogbu said that Ogah’s move has not come as a surprise to the APC family, adding that “everyone knew that Ogah was sponsored by external elements to destabilise Abia APC”.
He said, “It is on record that he (Ogah) did not participate in the governorship primary of our party nor did he even conduct the purported personal primary he claimed to have won. But he believed that with forged documents he could hoodwink the judiciary and earn another pay day from his sponsors”.
The Abia APC chairman said that “the least we had expected from Ogah is to congratulate High Chief Emenike and direct his supporters to queue behind the governorship candidate of our party to further ensure victory for APC in Abia.”
However, Ononogbu insisted that “the door of Abia APC is still open to all aggrieved members as well as prospective members.”
