By Our Correspondents

There is palpable tension in Abia following the sudden disappearance of the PDP guber candidate Prof. Uche Ikonne from the political scene for over two months. Reports have it that Prof. Uche Ikonne was last seen in any political gathering on November 24, 2022.

Prof. Uche Ikonne retired as the Vice Chancellor of the State-owned university, Abia State University a few year ago and was dragged into the governorship race by the governor and his henchmen just to ensure that the seat remains in the Ngwa axis of the State where the serving governor comes from.

Credible sources say that Prof. Ikonne, an optometrist by training, collapsed while speaking with some of his supporters a few days after the flag-off of the Abia PDP campaigns in Umuahia Township Stadium and was given First Aid treatment to resuscitate and stabilise him before he was flown to the United Kingdom for further medical treatment.

Continuing, our sources said that when it became obvious to the UK medical team that Prof. Ikonne was on a long road to recovery, they asked him and his minders to take him back to Nigeria for possible recovery, especially as his condition was not improving after applying all modern medical techniques to save him. The source also said that his condition became worse after he arrived in Nigeria but instead of taking him to India or the United States, his minders took him to a native doctor somewhere in the South South where he is currently receiving traditional medical care.

Meanwhile, fear has gripped the PDP hierarchy as one of the governorship aspirants in the 2022 primary election, Mr. Sampson Orji popularly known as SCOURJ has filed a notice of appeal at the Owerri division of the Appeal Court challenging the judgement of an Umuahia High Court presided over by Justice Evelyn Anyadike which struck out the case on grounds that lawyers allege to be flimsy and have no place in the law.

Rumour mills allege that the judgement of the Umuahia High Court was procured with a humongous sum of N300m in favour of the Party and that arrangements are in progress to do the same for the upcoming Appeal Court judgement.

As this arrangements are on, our sources revealed that those deeply involved in the emasculation process are treading with fear and carefully too and may abandon the governor to his fate having realised that what is happening to Prof. Ikonne and others around the governor may not be ordinary and unconnected with the covenant made on March 5 2019 between the elders of Ukwa and Ngwa, a political block in Abia that straddles both Abia Central and Abia South senatorial zone and elders of Abia North which the governor has breached.

A short history here will enable readers to have a clearer background of the unfolding danger which may consume as many as those who do not heed the covenant. Recall that there is a Charter of Equity in Abia State which was fashioned by the founding fathers of the State, some of whom are still alive, which states that power will rotate among the three senatorial zones in equal measure to allay fears of marginalisation and oppression by one group against another. In 1999-2007, Abia North took the first shot when the present Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu became governor, served for eight years and handed over to Senator T. A. Orji from Abia Central who also served for eight years (2007-2015) and over to the present governor, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu from Abia South.

According to our sources, the present governor had in 2019 before the general election sent his kinsmen of Ukwa and Ngwa to go and solicit for the support of elders of Abia North in his reelection bid. He asked his kinsmen in very clear words to tell the elders of Abia North that he will make sure that his successor is picked from Abia North in respect to the Abia Charter of Equity which he is a beneficiary. His kinsmen comprising political heavyweights from Ukwa and Ngwa and some notable traditional rulers are said to have embarked on the journey with traditional accompaniments like hot drinks, Remy Martins to be precise and eight pieces of Igbo kola nuts which was presented and words spoken in agreements with libation poured to the ancestors on the soil of Abia North in Prof. Greg Ibe’s house in what represented a solemn covenant between elders of Abia North and Abia South.

As preparations for the 2023 general election started, our sources said that it became obvious that the governor was not going to honour his commitment to the covenant and ended up picking his successor, Prof. Ikonne not from Abia North but from his Ngwa kindred in Abia Central in utter defiance to the covenant and the Charter of Equity.

The ugly side of the story according to our sources is that more than four prominent members of the group that were involved in the covenant and who have in one way or the other, directly or indirectly worked against the covenant have all died and under mysterious circumstances. Just to mention a few, one, Ukpai Agwu Ukpai who was a prominent member of the Abia Unity Group that was formed to pursue the return of the governorship to Abia North but snitched against one of the aspirants close to the governor that he wanted the governor dead to enable him take over his position lost his life in mysterious circumstances.

Secondly, our sources alleged that the former State party Chairman, Chief Ndidi Okereke from Abia North also died late last year after he switched sides and started backing the governor even when he was a de facto leader of the Abia Unity Group and one of the elders of Abia North that participated in the covenant. He is yet to be buried.

Another person close to the governor and who was part of the key members of the Ukwa and Ngwa entourage to Abia North, Chief Allen Nwachukwu is also no more, having died after he pressured the governor to abandon the covenant.

Presently, our sources said that what is happening to Prof. Uche Ikonne may not be unconnected with the consequences of the covenant which the governor is using him as a token to breach, a covenant which he Ikonne was not part of but is aware of its existence.

Our sources said that it is curious that none of the elders from both sides who participated in the covenant has lent his support to Prof. Ikonne either in public or in private because being elders with wisdom, they understand the dire implications of doing such and going against the ancestors and the gods of the land.

Following these developments, the Abia PDP seems to be in utter confusion and is holding meetings day and night to see how they can manoeuvre over this very complex and disturbing situation. When we confronted one of the elders of the Party from Abia South and asked him to offer an opinion on the way forward, he answered on conditions of anonymity and pleaded that we should not put his name on record because he too is afraid of his life.

He said, “the best thing for the governor to do is to compel Prof. Ikonne to dissociate himself from the guber race to save his life first and allow him to enjoy his retirement. When that happens, he should look for one credible candidate from Abia North and support the person to save his own life too because it is very clear and obvious that he is also not free from the wrath of the ancestors and gods of the land”.

Furthermore, he said, “I will advise anyone who had anything to do with that covenant to stand by it to save his life and move Abia forward. And for those that are bribing judges to procure false judgments, they should understand that there is always a time of reckoning and in this case, it won't be long and to the Appeal Court judges, I wish I had a way of reaching them because my simply advice to them would be, “ don’t stain your hands in this case. It is tied to the tradition of the and custom of the people. It will not discriminate between insiders and outsiders. It will consume anyone that tries to upturn injustice”.

Our source also revealed that the leadership of the Party has become jittery which made the governor openly admit that the Party’s guber candidate fell ill shortly after the campaign flagoff and said that he was recuperating. Feelers from the streets say that the heat is becoming unbearable as it has reached the governor himself.

As the Abia PDP scenario unfolds in the coming days, Abians are eagerly waiting to see what steps the PDP will take to salvage itself especially as it is gradually losing grip of the popular support it used to wield. There are obvious signs that the PDP may lose the governorship if it doesn't act fast and whether the PDP loses it or not, it is certain that the governorship will ultimately return to Abia North in 2023.

Lol! Could this be a ramour?

Anyway no smoke without fire.

Ikpeazu has this political headache to take care of and he is always seen gallivanting with Wike who has perfected plans to pocket rivers state in the forthcoming elections.

I pity him. By the time Labour Party wins the state he will know what it means to be an opposition.

That is just the beginning. Power must return to Abia North this year through Alex Otti of the Labour party.

Let those who ate kolanuts go and collect Toothpick from the spot where they ate the kola. We Abians do not care. What we want is candidates with integrity, a good plan for the people and proof that they have been known as people who will keep their word and serve the people.

PDP messed up in Abia and nobody in PDP's line up is going to escape the wrath of the people on February 25th. If they have also incurred the wrath of God na dem sabi!

No be only native doctor for South-South...just say Akwa-ibom make we know say you follow dey peddle rumours. SEE THEM, SEE SOURCES.