The governorship candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State, Prof. Gregory Ibe, has alerted that available intelligence reports confirm that, while he has been busy traversing the state on his campaigns, his opponents are perfecting plans to rig the governorship and House of Assembly elections on Saturday.

He said his opponents are threatening to use flaws noticed during the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections to subvert the will of Abia people.

He consequently warned that this election would not be rigged by anyone, as Abians will challenge any attempt to do so.

Ibe, therefore, tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agents involved in managing the election to ensure sanctity of the people’s ballot.

He had urged clerics and church leaders, including leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), at the weekend, to help in mobilising their members to rise up and reject bad leadership by voting for him and APGA on Saturday’s poll.

IN another development, the Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of Abia State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council and State Information/Strategy Commissioner, Eze Chikamnayo, has asserted that there is no confusion in Abia PDP with respect to the party’s deputy governorship candidacy as being reported in the media.

The state PDP Vice Chairman/Acting Publicity Secretary, Abraham Amah, had, on Sunday, during a press briefing at Umuahia, created the impression that Dr. Jasper Uche, who was appointed running mate to Chief Okey Ahiwe, who emerged from the party’s fresh primary to replace late Prof. Eleazar Ikonne, has been replaced by Okey Igwe, who was Ikonne’s deputy governorship candidate before he died on January 25.

In a statement, yesterday, Chikamnayo, said: “The issue of deputy governorship candidacy of the state PDP is that Igwe, in defiance to party rules and regulations, has approached the courts on the matter with all parties duly served.”

He said that neither Amah nor any other person has the authority to make pronouncement on the matter until after the ongoing judicial intervention, noting that any letter from any source to create confusion should be disregarded.

Chikamnayo added: “As it stands, Jasper Uche, whose name has been duly submitted to INEC after the fresh primary of the party, occasioned by the death of Ikonne, remains the authentic deputy governorship candidate of the party.” (The Guardian)

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