2027: Support Group Blasts APC, Inisits On Credible Candidate

By Alex Odeh, Pan Afric Reporters

The battle for Ohaozara, Onicha and Ivo Federal Constituency took a new turn on Thursday as the IGBOKEIST Group accused the APC of playing “politics of fear” ahead of 2027.

The group, a support and mobilization body for PDP candidate Chief Igboke Felix Ogbonna, said the real conversation in the constituency should be about grassroots development, not party-switching allegations.

Chief Igboke has come under fire over claims that he “cannot be trusted because he has jumped from one party to another.”

But his supporters say that is a deliberate distraction.

In a statement issued in Abakaliki and signed by the IGBOKEIST coordinator, Mr. Echofe Williams Echefulachi, described Igboke’s return to the PDP as strategic and necessary.

“Our principal realized that nothing meaningful can be achieved under the APC . So he returned to his home PDP” the group stated

The Group argued that moving between parties is now common practice across Nigeria and should not be weaponized against aspirants.

“You should just mention that person who has not moved from one party to the other. The whole thing is just like the fear of Igboke,” .

“Kama was initially in APC before he left for Labour Party where he emerged as the federal lawmaker representing the Constituency in 2023. Presently, he has also returned to APC and clinched the ticket there,” the statement noted.

According to the Group, constituents are more concerned about what a candidate can deliver than the party on their banner.

“People no longer look at parties. They should look at individual capacity, and the achievement. And someone who will understand grassroots politics and who will get to the grassroots and drive the dividends of democracy to the grassroots,”And when you think of that, you think Igboke.”

They maintained that Igboke’s return to PDP better positions him to attract federal projects, empower youths and women, and deliver on roads, healthcare, education and jobs.

The Igbokeist Group called on political actors to abandon “name-calling” and focus on issues affecting the people.

“Political realignment is part of Nigeria’s democratic reality. We urge voters to assess candidates based on track record, accessibility, and ability to attract projects, not on sponsored media attacks,” it said.

The Group reaffirmed its total support for Chief Igboke and urged the people of Ohaozara, Onicha and Ivo to rally behind him for “purposeful and grassroots-driven representation.”

With 2027 approaching, the Ohaozara, Onicha and Ivo seat is already emerging as one of the most keenly contested positions in Ebonyi State.