Abia Female Lawmakers Eye APC for Fourth Term Tickets

Emmanuel Ugwu

Unsure of actualising their ambition to secure tickets for a fourth term in office, the female members of the House of Representatives from Abia State are set to abandon the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and pitch tent with the All Progressives Congress (APC).

An insider in the Abia State chapter of the APC told THISDAY that the Hon Nkiruka Onyejeocha, who represents Umunneochi/ Isuikwuato federal constituency and Hon Nnenna Ukeje, Bende federal constituency “will soon join APC.”

There has been mounting opposition within Abia PDP against the ambition of both female federal lawmakers to return to the National Assembly in 2019 after spending 12 years.

“These women (Onyejeocha and Ukeje) are desperate to get tickets and APC offers the best chance for them to actualise their fourth term bid,” he said, adding that “it is near impossible” for the two ladies to receive PDP tickets again.

According to the source, Onyejeocha and Ukeje have established contacts with the APC and would crossover to the ruling party “at the appropriate time” to the warm embrace of Abia APC leaders.

“These two federal lawmakers are valuable political assets to any party given their experience in winning elections in their respective constituencies even in the midst of stiff opposition from male candidates,” he said.

“That is why we in APC are eager to prise these Amazon politicians from the PDP camp and bring them to add value to our mission to rescue Abia come 2019,” he further added.

Onyejeocha had fallen out of favour with the PDP administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu following her support for Mr. Uche Ogah in his failed bid to unseat the governor after obtaining a favourable court judgment in 2016.

Since then, the PDP structure was taken away from her and handed over to an emerging politician, Chief Chris Odinaka Igwe, who is a billionaire businessman.

Onyejeocha was conspicuously absent at a rally attended by major PDP stakeholders from Umunneochi last Tuesday, thereby further confirming her estranged relationship with Ikpeazu and Abia PDP leadership.

The stakeholders endorsed Ikpeazu’s second term at the rally organised by Igwe, who is the president of Chrisnak Group.

On her part, Ukeje is said to be uncomfortable with the disposition of the PDP stakeholders in her constituency and cannot say with certainty if she would still get the PDP ticket for the fourth term.

To buttress his claim that Ukeje was “no longer in spirit with the PDP”, the source cited the fact that the House member did not append her signature to the document signed by stakeholders to endorse Governor Ikpeazu at a rally held at Uzuakoli last month.