Indications have emerged that mass defection may soon hit the rank and file of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia, following the selection of Gloria Akara, as running mate to Ikechi Emenike, the party’s governorship candidate in the state.
Sources close to the party revealed that ever since the nomination of the Christian cleric-turned politician, as the gubernatorial running mate of the party, cohesion and peace have taken flight from the party.
Her nomination, apart from not resulting from wide consultations among the party stakeholders from the zone, it is also believed widely to have been influenced by some powerful outside forces, who the people say are not conversant with their peculiar trajectory.
“In the first place, this woman has never been in tune with our predicaments as a people under successive administrations in the state, and as such cannot meaningful bring any positive change.
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More worrisome is the believe in many quarters that her nomination was heavily influenced, by two powerful northern power brokers; a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory and the other, a former number one citizen of this country.
“Now if this insinuation is anything to go by, it then means that her loyalty will be first and foremost to her political godfathers. We the Ndoki people are completely averse to our fate being determined in faraway Northern Nigeria,” the source said.
But while a section of the party faithful is not comfortable with where the gubernatorial running mate is coming from, not a few others are questioning her political and electoral worth in the face of the enormous challenge posed by other political parties, some are having their governorship running mate from the zone.
The source said: “How can someone, who is not only resident here, but also does not come home and in fact does not know and relate with the people lead a campaign?”
In all, most of the chapter stakeholders who spoke with BusinessDay, said that they are expecting the state top hierarchy of the party to address their misgivings within a reasonable time frame or risk exodus of members.
As at the time of filing this report, Akara could not be reached for comments, so also is the chapter leadership, who appears not ready to talk to the press.
