The Mascot Uzor Kalu Campaign Organisation has rejected what it described as an illegal and anti-democratic zoning arrangement allegedly adopted by the Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the campaign organisation faulted a press statement credited to the Abia APC Publicity Secretary, Uche Aguoru, which reportedly announced that the party’s governorship ticket had been zoned to Abia Central Senatorial District.
The group also rejected claims that intending aspirants were being discouraged from purchasing Expression of Interest and Nomination forms.
Describing the arrangement as “purported,” the organisation questioned the authenticity of the decision, arguing that most members of the State Working Committee (SWC) were not in the state and had not held any formal meeting recently.
“Such an arrangement is not only frivolous but also reckless, unconstitutional, and entirely alien to all known precedents of the party in Abia State,” the statement said.
According to the organisation, any decision concerning zoning of the governorship ticket could not be taken unilaterally by the SWC without the approval of stakeholders at an expanded caucus meeting.
The campaign further argued that the APC in Abia had never adopted zoning in selecting its governorship candidates since the party’s formation in the state.
It recalled that in 2015, Nyerere Chinenye Ayim from Abia South emerged as the governorship candidate after defeating other aspirants, including High Chief Ikechi Emenike.
The statement added that in 2019, aspirants from the three senatorial districts contested the primaries, with Uche Sampson Ogah from Abia North eventually emerging as the candidate.
It also noted that in 2023, Ikechi Emenike from Abia Central won the party’s governorship ticket despite the participation of aspirants from other zones.
“We, the Mascot Uzor Kalu Campaign Organisation, unequivocally reject this purported zoning arrangement in its entirety and will not accept it under any circumstances,” the statement declared.
The organisation warned against what it described as attempts by “self-serving elements” within the party to use the SWC to frustrate the governorship ambition of Mascot Uzor Kalu.
It vowed to resist any such move through lawful means.
The group called on supporters of Mascot Uzor Kalu to remain calm and steadfast, insisting that previous efforts to impose a consensus arrangement had already failed.
“The APC in Abia must not be reduced to a playground for undemocratic impositions. The will of the people, expressed through a free, fair and credible primary process, must prevail,” the statement added.
