A stalwart of the All Progressives Congress and ex-member of the House of Representatives from Abia State, Chief Nze Chiekwe Esiaga has insisted that Chief Ikechi Emenike cannot lead the party to victory in 2023.

He posited that the factional gubernatorial candidate lacked the needed capacity to lead the APC to wrest power from the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 coming governorship elections in the State.

He cautioned the leadership of the party against fielding Emenike as the authentic governorship standard-bearer of the party for the forthcoming elections.

He further claimed that Emenike’s emergence was against the electoral guidelines reeled out for the conduct of the primaries.

Nze Esiaga spoke to journalists in Umuahia, the Abia State capital on Thursday.

PC conducted parallel gubernatorial primaries on 26th day of May, 2022 in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, wherein two governorship candidates emerged.

The candidates are the immediate past Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr Uche Sampson Ogah and the former Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the Board, University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, Ikechi Emenike.

Both candidates are already in court seeking judicial interpretation on the authenticity of the conducted exercise.

Continuing, Esiaga, however, reiterated that Emenike does not have the electoral value and cannot secure a win for the party in the coming elections.

He further dismissed the purported constitution of the Abia APC reconciliation committee, which was recently inaugurated by party leadership to address the internal crisis rocking the State chapter of the party.

The ex-federal lawmaker also accused the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma of aiding Ikechi Emenike to destroy the laudable strides made by the party in Abia State since its formation, calling on the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee of the party to call the governor to order.

His words, “Abia APC Integrity Group led by our 2019 Governorship candidate and the immediate past minister of State for mines and steel Development, Dr Uche Sampson Ogah, is strongly opposed to the obnoxious arrangements whereby Chief Ikechi Emenike is the owner of the State Structure of the party and he is also the Governorship candidate.

“He singlehandedly chose the National Welfare Secretary of APC that was allocated to Abia State and he chose all candidates for the forthcoming elections. He, in conjunction with Governor Hope Uzodinma, compelled all the national delegates to vote for Senator Ahmed Lawan.

“Those who made it impossible for Abia delegates to vote for Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu should not serve in the campaign council and should not be allowed to nominate committee members for they have their hidden agenda.

“Take it from me for the umpteenth time, Chief Ikechi Emenike does not have the electoral value that will ensure his victory in the 2023 election, and I stand to be quoted. Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State should be called to order on his ambition of annexing Abia to his State as Abians will henceforth not entertain any further interference on our matters by him”.