Aba North/South by-election: APC chieftain accuses Kalu of imposition

By Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Palu Ikonne, has urged the electorate in Aba North and South Federal Constituency to ensure that they resist what he described as an attempt by the Chief Whip of the Senate, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, to impose his younger brother, Mascot, the APC candidate, in the by-election.

Ikonne, who was recently appointed by President Muahammadu Buhari as the Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), who was a guest in an Aba-based radio station during an interview monitored by our correspondent, faulted the primary election that produced Senator Kalu’s younger brother.

Ikonne, who said he would not sit and watch Kalu ruin APC, accused the Senate Chief Whip of imposing his younger brother, who ran and won the same Aba North and South Federal Constituency between 2003 and 2011. He said: “I am a member of the APC for God’s sake. People were not allowed to purchase forms.

“I will like Aba people to see what is going to happen on Saturday. The time has come for Aba to begin to say this is what we want and put their own person. Not ‘mamacracy’ (mama has said), ‘brothercracy’ (brother has said). This time it should be ‘Abacracy’ (Aba people have said).”

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Calling for a protest vote against APC, Ikonne said: “The days of Okija shrine are gone. Enough is enough. We should get to know when we have got to our peak. Orji Kalu should come to know that Aba is growing. I feel ashamed talking about this that Orji Kalu is bringing or parading his brother in Aba. It is very annoying, to be honest.”

Reacting to Ikonne’s allegations, the leadership of APC in the state urged the people to ignore his comments.

In a statement yesterday by the state Publicity Secretary, Benedict Godson, the party said it was shocked that Ikonne, who claimed to be the leader of APC, would accuse the national leadership of not allowing all aspirants to purchase forms.

He said: “The primary was properly conducted by the committee sent by the national body. The APC chairmen in Aba North and Aba South local governments, Uche Moses and Chijioke Wogu witnessed it. Ikonne is not our spokesman.”