BREAKING: Abia Women Barricade APC Headquarters, Protest Against Imposition
- Some APC female members from Abia state on Wednesday, January 19 blocked the entrance of the party's secretariat
- According to the party members, there is a planned imposition of an unpopular APC chieftain in their state
- The women also threatened to strip naked in front of the secretariat if their demands are not met by the party leadership
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FCT, Abuja - Abia state women, in their numbers, on Wednesday, January 19 staged a protest at the national secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of imposing Chief Ikechi Emenike on their state chapter.
The women who were armed with placards, barricaded the entrance gate of the secretariat for hours, grounding vehicular and human movement.
Source: Facebook
The Abia APC women who arrived at the party secretariat at exactly 12pm and held forte at the gate, defiled all entreaties to allow free flow of vehicular movement.
Displaying placards with various inscriptions, the women threatened to strip naked should the party leadership, preferably chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni or secretary, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, address them.
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The posters with the inscriptions read; 'Buni and Akpanudoedehe should not kill Abia State APC', 'Ikechi Emenike not a grassroots leader and can't lead Abia State APC', among others.
Speaking with journalists including a Legit.ng reporter at the secretariat, Abia APC Women leader-elect, Mrs. Ezinne Ude-Uduma, said:
“Our demand first is for the national chairman Buni to do the right thing. He should wait for the recommendation committee report to come out. They should not impose anybody or impose any candidate.
“We voted for Chume Acho Iheanacho Obioha as Abia state party chairman and we want him, he's a grassroots person instead of the other man, we don't even know his name.”
When asked if their demands are not met what will they do, the women leader said:
“What happened in Anambra will happen in Abia state. We would lose election. Everybody will go to another party and PDP will take over Abia state and we want APC to take over Abia state.
“We are here because we were reliably informed that the national leadership of this party wants to inaugurate the newly-elected leadership of the party in our state. We demand that either Buni or Akpanudoedehe must address us or we won't leave this gate.
“We are ready to strip naked here if the party inaugurate those taunting and embarrassing us for identifying with APC those early days of the formation of the party in the state.
“We have not benefited anything after suffering for the party since 2014 we became members of the party. We have nothing to show for the humiliation we suffered in the hands of those that just joined and hijacked the party now.
“We won't leave here, we will shock you what we will do here if we are pressed. We will not be ashamed to strip naked if the party leadership fails to address us now.”
Addressing them, the ruling party's Director of Administration, Abubakar Suleiman, assured them that no newly-elected state executive will be inaugurated before the conduct of the national convention.
His words:
“I want to assure you that we are not inaugurating any State executive today or tomorrow. The inauguration will be done after the national convention. We want to inform you that we will reconcile all the aggrieved party members before even talking about inauguration.
“I appeal to you to leave the gate. Bring a formal letter or petition, detailing your grievances and I promise you it will be attended to.”
Abia APC chairman dismisses protests against Emenike
On his part, the chairman of the APC in Abia state, Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu, has accused some party members of making moves to demarket Emenike.
Leadership newspaper reports that Ononogbu said the members were being sponsored by losers in the congresses conducted last year, in order to regain their lost battle.
Women group roots for Osinbajo ahead of 2023 presidential election
Meanwhile, the National Coalition of Women for Osinbajo has declared that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is one of the very few Nigerian political aspirants who will not turn electoral victory into an opportunity for wealth accumulation.
Addressing reporters including a Legit.ng reporter during a press conference at the offices of The Progressive Project (TPP) in Abuja on Wednesday, January 19, members of the coalition made a six-point declaration.
The declaration includes a call for President Muhammadu Buhari and the entire members of the Federal Executive Council to consider adopting Osinbajo as the APC’s consensus presidential candidate.
2023: Pro-Osinbajo women’s groups’ campaign for VP at APC Women’s Conference
Recall that as the APC National Women’s Conference went underway on Tuesday, January 18, women from various parts of the federation arrived at the International Conference Center, Abuja venue, with demands for the actualization of an Osinbajo presidency in 2023.
With an emphatic presence, the women's coalition that includes market women, farmers, traders, artisans, and professionals chorused demand for Osinbajo to become the APC presidential candidate in 2023.
They urged the party’s caretaker committee to strictly ensure that delegates to its national convention are not hijacked by those who have participated in looting state or federal resources in the past.
Source: Legit.ng
