From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described the purported suspension of her Abia State Governorship candidate, Bishop Sunday Ndukwo Onuoha, and three other candidates as fake news.
Norman Obinna, reported to have been expelled from the party, had earlier in the week announced the suspension of Bishop Onuoha and three others.
However, in a statement, ADC, through her National Vice Chairman, South East, Chilos Godsent said the purported suspension of the Governorship Candidate of the party in Abia State and three ADC candidates for the 2023 National Assembly Elections by Obinna was fake news.
The statement read in part: “The South East Zonal Secretariat of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has read with utmost disappointment the fake news been circulated by one Norman Obinna claiming to be the Chairman of ADC Abia State and purporting to have suspended the Governorship Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for Abia State, Bishop Sunday Onuoha and three other Candidates of the Party in the forthcoming 2023 National Assembly Elections in Abia State.
“Consequent upon the above, we, therefore, urge the good people of Abia State to disregard this fake news from Norman Obinna which was targeted to malign the good image of our Candidates and the Party at large in order to get material rewards in return from their paymasters.
“We wish to inform the general public that the said Norman Obinna has been expelled from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) since September 2022 for offences bordering on misappropriation, leadership ineptitude and anti-party activities to mention but few”.
Godsent said since Obinna was not a member of the party or its chairman in Abia State, the zonal secretariat strongly suspected he may have been hired by opposition political parties to cause confusion in the ADC family in Abia State and in the minds of the Abia voters by circulating the fake news.
The party said it is aware that many political parties in Abia State are scared of the rapidly growing popularity of Bishop Onuoha and the ADC in Abia State in the recent time, hence attempts to pull them down.
While reiterating that the chairman of the party in Abia State remains Obioma Onwukaike, the statement enjoined Abia voters to disregard the fake news and continue to give their unalloyed support to Bishop Onuoha and the ADC in Abia State.