The crisis rocking the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia state took a turn for the worse on Tuesday following the withdrawal of Hon. Obinna Ichita from the forthcoming Aba North/South Federal Constituency by-election.
The by-election is occasioned by the vacuum created by the death of former lawmaker representing the Constituency, Hon. Ossy Prestige of APGA. Ichita is member representing Aba South State Constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly. His withdrawal from the race came few hours to the commencement of the party’s primaries.
Although Ichita cited “high level of bitterness in our politics” as the reason for his action barely 72 hours after obtaining the nomination form, Igbere TV however reliably gathered that the lawmaker took the action over alleged threat to life.
He had hinged his withdrawal from the race on “the events of the previous days”, which he said “have revealed a lot: the level of bitterness in our politics”, subtly giving credence to the alleged threats to life.
Hon. Obinna Ichita further insisted that he was withdrawing from the APGA primary election “based on the advise of my immediate family and my close associates.”
However, a source close to the Campaign Organisation, who spoke to Igbere TV on the condition of anonymity, said the real reason behind Ichita’s sudden decision to withdraw was to save his life.
The source alleged that Ichita has been receiving several threats to his life, following his formal declaration to contest the Aba North/South House of Repsʼ by-election race.
When questioned further on whether he had any idea who could be behind the said threats, the source said he believes the threats are coming from the camp of the other faction of the party.
“The threats on the life of Hon. Ichita is obviously the work of the other divide. I believe they are trying to kill him just so they can fully take over the party structure in the state for themselves.”
APGA, after the widely celebrated exit of its former Governorship candidate and party leader, Dr. Alex Otti, became a factionalized party in Abia State.
Otti, a former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Diamond Bank had dumped the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), taking along with him the major pillars of the party and over half of it’s membership.
Until his exit, Otti was considered as the backbone of the APGA in Abia state, and one of the top and major financiers in South East.
Following the demise of Hon. Ossy Prestige, Ichita believes that he can take the place of Alex Otti being one the few elected member of the party at the Abia State House of Assembly, but the other faction thinks otherwise.
An impeccable source in the Ichita camp vowed that the faction would go at any length to frustrate the preferred candidate of the other APGA faction, Akaraka at the polls.
“Akaraka is a greenhorn who could not win ordinary State Assembly election during the last general election. How he plans to win a federal seat without the support of Hon. Ichita is all we want to see. We are watching keenly,” the source added.
