The former Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Uche Ogah, is set to throw his weight behind the Governorship Candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, Dr. Okechukwu Ahiwe.

Ogah’s move is coming few days after he lost a legal battle to claim the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State.

The Supreme Court had on February 9, 2023, in a unanimous verdict affirmed Mr. Ikechi Emenike as the duly nominated governorship candidate of the APC in Abia State.

The former minister has already taken a first step in his renewed relationship with the PDP, his former party, by donating his billboards to the party’s governorship flag bearer, Ahiwe.

Ogah’s billboard 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 PDP candidate.

The Abia State Chairman of APC, Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu, said that Ogah’s move did not come as a surprise to the party because “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. Neither 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.”

Ononogbu said that “the least we had expected from Ogah is to congratulate Emenike and direct his supporters to queue behind the governorship candidate of our party to further ensure victory for the APC in Abia.”

He however, insisted that “the door of Abia APC is still open to all aggrieved members as well as prospective members.”

The Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has consistently maintained that Ogah “is a mole in Abia APC” hence his legal fights over the party’s governorship ticket was just a ruse.

Another chieftain of APC, Mr. Benedict Benjamin Apugo, had also stated publicly that in 2019 Ogah had compromised the governorship ticket of the party, hence he could not be trusted with another chance.

The Presidential Candidate of the APC, Mr. Ahmed Bola Tinubu, during his presidential campaign rally in Abia State, urged Ogah to end all feuds and legal tussles and seek in-house resolution of his grievances.

Tinubu said: “Uche Ogah please, stop all court actions and come and see me. Come home and let us resolve our matter in our living room. Our position here is clear: Ikechi Emenike is holding the flag of our party, APC.” (THISDAY)

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