Ebonyians are enduring hardship, State-sponsored oppression under APC, Ex-Rep

Martha Iloke, Abakaliki

Former Member of the House of Representatives who represented the Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency, Hon. Linus Okorie has lamented that Ebonyi people have been enduring hardship and oppression since 2015 when the All Progressives Congress (APC) took over the reins of power in the state.

According to him, the state has been characterised by misgovernance, hunger, economic extrangulation, insecurity, corruption and state-sponsored oppression under the ruling APC government.

He stated this while reacting to a report credited to the Chairman of the APC in the state, Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha, who alleged the former lawmaker had concluded plans to dump his party, the Labour Party (LP).

Okorie, who was the Labour Party Senatorial Candidate in the February 4, 2024, bye-election for Ebony South District, said the statement from the ruling party was baseless propaganda and an assault on the sensibilities of residents of the state.

In a chat with journalists, in Abakaliki, on Wednesday, the former lawmaker said, “When propaganda loses its grip on the people, its purveyors descend into desperation.

“Let me be clear, especially to all those to have inundated me with inquiries and concern, that this is a lie, a deliberate fabrication. It is a psychological ploy to confuse and demoralize Ebonyians.

“For the records, I have never met, spoken with, nor entertained any political conversation, formal or informal, with the Ebonyi State APC Chairman, Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha. I have not hosted him, been hosted by him, or shared a conversation of any kind with him. There is no plan, consideration, or desire on my part to join the APC.

“Chief Emegha’s statement is not just false; it is an assault on the sensibilities of Ebonyians, a people who have endured untold hardship since 2015 under the misgovernance of the APC. Hunger, economic hardship, insecurity, corruption and state-sponsored oppression have become the norm under their watch.

“It is now abundantly clear that shocked that the people have remained focused, unyielding, and OBIdient, despite serial defections of self-styled political heavyweights, the APC resorts to name-dropping, misinformation, and false flag operations to shore up its daily crumbling image. Even at that, I genuinely worry about the state of mind that can so cleverly fabricate and spread such a falsehood without the slightest remorse.”

He added, “The inclusion of my name, alongside those of Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii (Anyichuks), Prof. Bernard Odoh, and Senator Emmanuel Onwe, in their so-called defection list, is not only fictitious but an insult to the intelligence of the Ebonyi polity who know where I and the others mentioned, stand.

“I remain OBIdient and committed to building a credible, people-driven political movement that will deliver real change in Nigeria. My mission is not self-serving; it is rooted in justice, competence, and genuine democratic renewal.

“If Chief Emegha owes me anything at all, it is a public apology, for the infamous role he played during the previous administration of Governor David Umahi, where he operated as both APC Chairman and Special Adviser on Internal Security, a dual role that became a channel of persecution, violation of human rights and suppression of opposition voices, mine included.

“To the good people of Ebonyi, I urge you to ignore these baseless and worn-out propaganda stunts. This is the season of political decoys, and deception will become more frequent as 2027 draws near. But the truth will stand. The future is not with failed systems trying to rebrand themselves by dragging credible names into their sinking ship.

“The APC is not, and will not be, a platform for the kind of future we seek. It is not the vehicle for Nigeria’s rebirth, certainly not for the actualization of a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction. That vision and pathway lie elsewhere, and we are building it: organically. Credibly and decisively. The APC has nothing, absolutely no plan, to emancipate Ndigbo whose votes they relentlessly plot to steal in 2027.

“All said and done, this is not the time for distraction. It is the time for even more focused grassroots mobilization, to consolidate our collective resolve and deepen the spreading people-led movement that will reclaim Nigeria for the many, not the few; for the masses, not the cabal represented by Okoro Emegha.

“Ebonyians, do not be deceived. The names listed in Emegha’s tale of fiction remain credible leaders of the people who are not for sale. We are not available for circus performances either; and will not be used to validate a party whose record speaks only of marginalization, suffering and regression.”