ABIA: Days After Dumping APC, State Assembly Aspirant Joins Labour Party

Okoro Kalu Uchenna, an aspirant for the Arochukwu State Constituency in Abia State, has joined the Labour Party about 48 hours after announcing his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Uchenna had cited “violation of the democratic principle of fairness” by the Abia APC leadership for his exit from the party.

He added that the “perennial internal wrangling in the party as well as the party’s disregard for internal democracy” prevented him and other aspirants with genuine intentions of serving their constituents from forging ahead on the APC platform.

Asked about his chances of winning on the platform of a less popular party, the young aspirant expressed optimism that joining the Labour Party will increase his chances of returning with victory.

“There’s never a political platform that cannot fly or bring out any good candidate for better representation so long the objective is to ensure the candidacy has the interest of the masses at heart.

“I have been in the APC before now and truth be told the party lacks unity, love and the masses at heart.

“How do you explain a system that violates the rights of the people to freely exercise their franchise due to some forces from above and show of frivolous entitlement. I cannot be a party to such charade of madness,” said Uchenna who is a native of Atan Abam in Arochukwu LGA.

Earlier, an aspirant for the Umuahia East State Constituency, Austin Okezie Meregini, announced his resignation from the APC citing similar issues with the state’s party leadership.

“The decision is borne out of the continuous internal crisis of the party in Abia State and the decision of the NWC to share the yet-to-be-conducted elective positions in the forthcoming party primaries, which I believe is against the democratic principle of fairness.

“It is regrettable that I am left with no choice under the circumstances, having put in a lot over the years to help build the party in the state,” Meregini said in a letter addressed to the APC chairman in his Ndume Ward.