On Monday, members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State wrote a petition to President Bola Tinubu, expressing their unhappiness with his picks for appointments to the boards and councils of various universities.
The APC leaders were upset that aside from former Minister of State for Science and Technology, Chief Henry Ikoh, and former House of Representatives aspirant, Chijioke Ikpo, the other nominees were from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP).
The petition was signed by several key APC members, including Chijioke Chukwu, Anderson Akaliro, Emeka Okoroafor, Dr. Mike Ukoha, Chief Blessing Adokiye, and Ejike Chukwu. Copies were also sent to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, his deputy Benjamin Kalu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator George Akume, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and other top APC leaders.
The APC members suggested that the inclusion of opposition party members on the appointment list might be a mistake and warned that if not corrected, it would undermine the loyalty and hard work of dedicated party members. They also noted that many of the nominees had actively worked against the APC during the 2023 election campaigns by damaging their campaign materials.
The petition highlighted that out of over 555 appointments, only two were from the APC in Abia State, while the rest were from opposition parties. They emphasized that this situation could harm the APC’s growth in the state and strengthen the opposition for the 2027 elections. The petitioners requested the removal of the non-APC nominees for the sake of the party’s future in Abia State.
