An Abia State based socio-political support group, The Visible Mandate, has condemned what it described as "fake "Stakeholders" endorsement of one Lucky Igbokwe, popularly known as Don Lulu as a consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the federal house of representatives' seat for Ikwuano/ Umuahia Federal Constituency, adding that the perpetrators and organisers of such assembly are ignorant of the Electoral Act and the Constitution.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Umuahia, the capital city of Abia State, the spokesman of the group, Comrade Opara Philip Emmanuel, stated:
"The attention of our support group has been drawn to a misleading and clearly orchestrated piece of information making the round concerning an alleged “stakeholders’ meeting” and a so-called “consensus candidate” in Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency by some undesirable perpetrators and organisers who are ignorant of the 2026 electoral act as amended and the 1999 constitution as amended respectively which stated that political aspirants can be voted through direct primaries, indirect primaries and consensus in a collective and transparent inclusion.
"Electoral Act and the 1999 constitution outlined that there are only two organs of any political party in Nigeria viz: the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Working Committee (NWC) who directly participate in the decisions and the processes of political party affairs, primary elections, congresses and conventions.
"We urge the duo of Charles Ogbonna, His son, Johnpedro Irokansi, Emeka Chionye and Tony Eze to kindly consult their lawyers for the interpretation of the 2026 Electoral Act and the Nigeria constitution with regards to the fundamentals of the electoral processes in Nigeria.
"The purported "consensus candidate" from the palace of unknown "Stakeholders" is nothing but a laughably calculated propagandum by a loopsided few All Progressives Congress (APC) unfaithful individuals who are alien to the Electoral Act and the Constitution. It is important to remind the players and mischievous sponsors of this falsehood that all these wave of propaganda started shortly after their failed attempt to use a petition against Rt. Hon. Engr. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to blackmail him even as no court of competent jurisdiction has pronounced him guilty of any financial crime.
"It is shameful to note that they have realized that their baseless petition yielded no result hence they resort to misinformation as their next strategy.
"Their desperation sadly intensifies as it has become obvious that Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji has already gained massive grassroot - support and clearly ahead even before the D-day of the primary elections. This propagandum is therefore designed to deceive the public to believing that Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji will not participate in the primary elections.
"Without any contradiction, we warn that this false impression will not stand. We state categorically clear that Rt. Honorable Engr. Chinedum Orji is fully in the race and the people of Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency are solidly behind him.
"The National leadership of the APC has stated that primaries can be by direct primaries or consensus where all the aspirants agree in writing to support an agreed candidate.
"We ask, can a so called charles Ogbonna, his son , a staff member of the state government that is a registered member of the Labour Party by name of Johnpedro Irokansi, another civil servant by name of Emeka Chionye and a one man sole stakeholder from Ohuhu the ever treacherous Tony Eze, constitute the stakeholders of an entire local government?
"Can they be bold enough to bring out the communique signed by these “stakeholders“? Since when has Johnpedro Irokansi become a registered member of the APC to host a meeting that concerns the APC as a party for the meeting to be held in his house?
"May we also remind these so called "stakeholders" especially one Charles Ogbonna that the days of his intimidation and self-styled assumption of authority are long gone as he has no capacity to dictate the affairs of his community talkless of Umuahia.
"More importantly, there is an existing agreement of shared political sharing of position in Umuahia north.
Five people including a father and son cannot change it. We challenge them to produce the evidence of a signed agreement by all the aspirants from umuahia north supporting this charade.
"After sponsoring petitions to disqualify Rt Hon Chinedu Enyinnaya Orji and failed woefully, the same envious and ungrateful “five man” fake stakeholders resorted to defining there own party guidelines out of self imposed envy, extortion, ingratitude and pure hate.
"Unfortunately, these bunch of people having derived political relevance from the same Orji family, they choose to fight filthily by taking a step further engaging in all manner of anti- democratic steps to stop the fomer speaker’s nomination. They can’t impose their hate on the people.
"We have the mandate of Rt. Hon. Chinedu Orji to inform these people of Ikwuano/ Umuahia federal constituency that the fomer speaker’s intent to participate in tomorrow’s primaries will successfully prevail. Their antics as usual have failed.
"Tomorrow, Saturday 16, 2026, during the primary elections, the truth will speak loudly. We will come out en masse and massively vote for Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji because there is no amount of propaganda that would override the will of the people. The mandate belongs to the people and the people have already decided", Comrade Philip wrote.
Recall that on Thursday, it was reported that stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Umuahia North have unanimously endorsed one Lucky Igbokwe, popularly known as Don Lulu, as the consensus candidate for the Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency House of Representatives seat ahead of the forthcoming elections.
The decision was reportedly contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a meeting involving Umuahia North stakeholders and aspirants contesting for the House of Representatives position.
According to the communiqué, stakeholders resolved that the House of Representatives seat for the Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency should be ceded to the Ohuhu Clan to allow the clan complete the remaining four years of the existing eight-year power-sharing arrangement.
The meeting, which allegedly involved party leaders, stakeholders and aspirants, reportedly reached the decision after extensive consultations and mutual agreements aimed at promoting equity, fairness and political stability within the constituency.
The communiqué further stated that all aspirants present at the meeting agreed to support the emergence of Don Lulu in the spirit of unity, inclusiveness and collective progress of the party.
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