A fresh political crisis appears to be brewing within the All Progressives Congress in Abia State following protests by aggrieved party members and supporters over alleged moves to impose a preferred candidate for the Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency House of Representatives seat ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The protesters, believed to be supporters of the former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji, stormed the Abia State Secretariat of the APC located along Azikiwe Road, Umuahia, carrying different placards with inscriptions warning the party leadership against what they described as an attempt to undermine democratic principles within the party.
The protest, which attracted attention from party faithful and passersby, came barely 24 hours after reports emerged that some APC stakeholders and aspirants from Umuahia North had allegedly resolved to support an Ohuhu candidate for the House of Representatives position under an alleged zoning arrangement.
The protesters insisted that any arrangement aimed at endorsing or imposing a candidate without allowing other aspirants to participate freely in the party’s primary election would be unacceptable and capable of causing disunity within the party.
Some of the placards displayed during the protest reportedly carried inscriptions such as “No To Imposition,” “Allow Free And Fair Primaries,” “Let The Best Candidate Emerge,” and more.
The political tension followed a stakeholders’ meeting held by APC leaders and aspirants in Umuahia North where participants reportedly agreed that the Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency seat should be ceded to Ohuhu Clan to complete what they described as the remaining four years of an existing eight-year political arrangement within the constituency.
At the end of the meeting, a communiqué allegedly issued by the stakeholders stated that the decision was reached after consultations aimed at promoting equity, fairness, political balance, and stability within the federal constituency.
The communiqué further disclosed that all aspirants present at the meeting unanimously endorsed Mayor Lucky Igbokwe, popularly known as Don Lulu, as the preferred consensus candidate for the House of Representatives position.
However, the development did not go down well with supporters of Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji, who immediately rejected the reported endorsement, describing it as null, void, and unacceptable.
The protesters argued that no individual or group has the authority to impose candidates on party members, insisting that the APC constitution and democratic principles require that aspirants should be allowed to test their popularity through a transparent primary election.
Speaking during the protest, some party faithful insisted that the House of Representatives seat belongs to the people and not a selected group of stakeholders.
They maintained that the electorate and party delegates should be allowed to determine who emerges as the party’s flagbearer through a free and credible process.
Meanwhile, the Abia State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Chief Uche Aguoru, who addressed the protesters at the party secretariat, appealed for calm and assured party members that the national leadership of the APC remains committed to ensuring transparent and credible primaries across the country.
According to him, there was no reason for panic as the party leadership would ensure fairness in the process.
He urged aggrieved members to remain calm, law-abiding, and confident that the APC would conduct free and fair primaries in line with the directives of the party’s national leadership.
Political observers say the latest development may further expose underlying cracks within the Abia APC as various interest groups and political blocs intensify consultations and positioning ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency remains one of the politically strategic constituencies in Abia State and is expected to witness intense political battles in the coming months as different camps struggle for influence and control within the APC.