Abia 2015: 'Only Court can Decide APGA' s Authentic Candidate'

Emmanuel Ugwu, in Umuahia
Members and supporters of the All Progressives Grand
Alliance (APGA) in Abia state are still facing a
dilemma of who to accept as the governorship
candidate of the party as two persons continue to lay
claim to the party's governorship flag.
But the factional governorship candidate, Ochiagha
Reagan Ufomba has told his teeming supporters at
Ntigha his home base that the issue of "dual
candidacy" would eventually be resolved by the court
of law .
Both Dr Alex Otti and Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba are
both contending to be the authentic flag bearer of
APGA in Abia, a reflection of the party's leadership
crisis right from the national level.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
had listed Otti as the gubernatorial candidate of APGA
in Abia. But Ufomba said that the electoral umpire
lacked the power to determine who should be APGA's
governorship candidate as such power resided with the
court of law where he had gone to seek redress.
Meanwhile Ufomba has continued to run his own
governorship campaign just as Otti was going on with
his own parallel campaign outfit.
At the meeting held at his compound in Ntigha,
Ufomba told his people that he was still very in the
race. adding that they should continue to support
APGA to win the Abia governorship poll after which
the court would decide between him and Otti who
would be the governor.
He predicted that Abia could experience the type of
drama that played out in Rivers State after the 2007
governorship poll whereby PDP won the poll and
Celestine Omehia was sworn in as governor only for
the court to declare Chibuike Amaechi as the duly
elected governor.
Ufomba, who was the governorship candidate of APGA
in 2011, said that the major challenge facing the party
was to wrest Abia government house from the ruling
PDP after which the issue of who becomes governor
would be sorted out legally.
The cement merchant said that he remained the best
person to pilot the affairs of Abia having garnered
experience in both public and private sector.
"Abia needs somebody who understands the operative
environment. If you don't understand a problem you
can't solve it," Ufomba said.