The All Progressives Congress (APC) top hierarchy in Ehime Mbano has come out to strongly debunk the allegations making rounds that Sir Frank Ibezim, APC candidate for Imo North senatorial election was not a party member.
Speaking to newsmen, both the APC chairman for Ikpe-Nsu ward, Hon. Chika Agbaghara, and the Ehime Mbano local government area Chairman, Hon. Vice Agu, refuted the rumours.
They affirmed that Hon. Ibezim was duly registered at the ward level, and is in right standing in the party.
One of the aspirants who lost in the primaries, Chidinma Uwajumogu, had alleged that African Independent Television (AIT) programme, aired on Sunday that Ibezim defected to Accord Party in the lead up to the 2019 general elections.
The publicity secretary of the Imo state faction of the party, Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, had, in a statement, on Monday, equally raised the issue stating: “The All Progressives Congress Imo state wishes to inform all party members, relevant agencies and institutions and the general public that Mr. Frank Ibezim, who is being paraded by some people as the purported candidate of the party for the upcoming Imo North senatorial bye-election is not even a member of our party, talk less of being our candidate for any election on our party’s platform.”
Onwuasonya’s state exco faction is not recognised by the Governor Mai Buni National Caretaker Committee.
However, Ibezim’s ward Chairman, Agbaghara reiterated that he never at any time received any notice from Ibezim that he was resigning from the party.
“His name is in our register; he actively worked with the party to deliver President Muhammadu Buhari, the APC governorship, senatorial, and state House of Assembly candidates in the 2019 general elections both at the ward and Local Government Areas (LGAs). Ibezim was a key ally of late Senator Ben Uwajumogu, and played significant roles in restoring the Senator’s stolen mandate,” he said.
Vice Agu, the APC chairman for Ehime Mbano LGA dismissed Onwuasonya and Uwajumogu’s claims as baseless and total ignorance of the rules governing political parties operations.
His words, “Ibezim unlike Onwuasonya’s preferred aspirant, Senator Ararume at no time left APC. For a party member to defect to another party, that member would need to formally resign membership of the present party, that letter would be addressed to the party leadership at his ward. The ward chairman would need to forward the copy of the letter to both the LGA and state chairpersons.
“I am not in receipt of any such letter. I can confirm that Ibezim coordinated mobilisation of voters to vote President Buhari and many other APC candidates during the 2019 General Elections.”
Agu further berated Onwuasoanya for rooting for Ararume who left APC to fly the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) flag at the 2019 governorship election.
“Ararume fought against APC candidates at all levels and should not in the first place have benefited from the party’s benevolence which granted him waiver to contest the by-election primaries,” he added.
