The Campaign Organisation of frontline governorship aspirant and former Minister of State for Science and Technology, Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh, has strongly rejected the purported outcome of the All Progressives Congress governorship primary in Abia State which reportedly declared Eric Opiah as winner.

In a strongly-worded statement issued on Friday, the campaign organisation described the announcement as “strange, unacceptable, provocative and inconsistent with the established consensus arrangement reached by the majority of the party’s State Working Committee.”

The statement titled:”The Sham Called Abia APC Governorship Primary Election and the Purported Results Announced Cannot Stand”, was signed by the Director General of the Campaign Organisation, Prince Ikedi Ezekwesiri, a two-time member of the Abia State House of Assembly.

“It is incongruous to the set down rules and guidelines of our party – APC regarding the procedures and processes of conducting primary elections, that a clique of desperate politicians should usurp the duties of the party and jettison the laid down rules and guidelines as contained in the constitution of the party to go on a wide indecent frolic to massage their inglorious ego. Any result(s) generated from a faulty procedural foundation cannot stand”.

The organisation insisted that no valid process could overturn the earlier position of 13 out of the 18 members of the APC State Working Committee (SWC) who had openly adopted Chief Ikoh as the party’s consensus governorship candidate following the withdrawal of another aspirant, Mascot Uzor Kalu, from the race.

According to the statement, the overwhelming endorsement of Ikoh by majority members of the SWC reflected the collective will of critical party stakeholders who believed the former minister possesses the political capacity, experience, acceptability and grassroots appeal required to reposition the party ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

“The sudden emergence of a different outcome after a clear consensus had already been reached by the majority of the State Working Committee raises serious questions about transparency, credibility and respect for internal democratic agreements within the party,” the campaign stated.

The organisation argued that consensus remains a recognised democratic mechanism within the APC and wondered why the position earlier reached by a clear majority of the SWC members would be discarded without due consultation or broad-based agreement.

It further warned that any attempt to impose candidates against the collective decision of stakeholders could trigger avoidable disaffection within the party and undermine ongoing efforts to reposition the APC as a formidable opposition force in Abia State.

“Our principal, Chief Henry Ikoh, remains committed to party discipline, unity and democratic principles. However, we cannot accept a process that appears to disregard the clearly expressed position of the majority of the party leadership in the state,” the statement added.

Alleging foul play in the purported declaration of Opiah as winner of the primaries, Ikoh’s Campaign Organisation claimed the former Minister remains the popular choice of the party members across the state.

The campaign organisation disclosed that it had commenced the process of formally petitioning the national leadership of the APC to review what it termed “the controversial and questionable declaration.”

It expressed confidence that the national leadership of the party would act in the interest of justice, fairness and internal democracy to prevent what it described as “a dangerous precedent capable of weakening party cohesion in Abia State.”

While urging supporters to remain calm and law-abiding, the organisation maintained that Chief Ikoh remains the authentic consensus choice of the majority of APC stakeholders across the state.

“Let me assure APC members in Abia state and our teeming faithful followers that what happened yesterday was a charade and will not stand.”