The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia has warned the State House of Assembly on plans to suspend the Minority Leader of the House, Hon Chijioke Chukwu.
Hon Chukwu, representing Bende North had in an interview last week, told those clamouring from which zone would produce the governorship in 2023, that they were not only heating up the polity, but also trying to shift focus from the shortcomings of the present administration.
This statement allegedly made the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership of the House to prevail on Hon Chukwu to apologise or face suspension.
However in a statement, the state secretary of APC, Perfect Okorie, said the planned move to suspend Chukwu was not only a show of ignorance, but an attempt to stifle opposition in the state.
“We have to make it clear that the APC sees the threat as an affront to democracy and will not in anyway tolerate it. In fact, the position of the party is that a threat to the Minority Leader of the House, who is a member of APC, is a threat to the party itself.
“It is not about him as a person, he is there representing his constituents and the APC, and has been standing firm to the principles and tenets of the party. He has remained the voice of opposition in the state and they cannot in anyway and any manner whatsoever try to cow him from standing up from what is right.
“Democracy must be allowed to thrive in Abia. We have had occasions where members of the PDP at the National Assembly including those from Abia have severally criticized President Muhammadu Buhari and nobody had threatened to suspend them.
“The party encourages Hon Chukwu to continue to speak out when and where necessary, to continue to criticize all government policies that are detrimental to the welfare and we’ll being of the people of Abia State”, the statement read.
According to Okorie, the party in the state had already communicated to the national body of the party to intimate them of the development, stressing that more actions on that would be taken if the House went ahead to carry out it’s plan.
“If the Assembly attempts that, all lovers of democracy will stand up to defend and stand by Hon Chukwu.
“We will equally take our case to the National Assembly to make sure the voice of the opposition in the state is not supressed.”
“Those who are saying he should apologize to the governor should provide evidence that all workers in the state have been paid salaries up to date.
“They equally should provide evidence that pensioners in the state have been paid their pensions, then Hon Chukwu will apologize, if not so, he will tender no apology and the party will stand by him,” he warned.
Accordingly, the office of the Minority Leader has explained that at no time did Chukwu malign the governor as a person in the said interview.
A statement signed by Chukwuemeka Adile Special Assistant, Public Communications, to Hon. Chukwu, said references by his boss to the governor was to the PDP-led administration in the state and not the person of the governor.
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