At least two grassroots political groups, including the Abia Youth Advocacy Network, have openly rejected the outcome of the All Progressives Congress’ governorship primary election in Abia.

In a joint statement on Sunday, the Ozurumba Movement and Renewed Hope Tinubu Abia described the emergence of Eric Opah as “an imposition that undermines fairness, transparency, and youth inclusion”.

The groups stated that they operate as united grassroots forces with presence in all 17 local councils and wards across the state.

They claimed to have a combined membership of 800 to 1,000 committed individuals per ward, representing over 376,000 registered voters.

“It is no longer acceptable for anyone to impose a governorship candidate on us in the APC. Any attempt to take our collective will for granted is a grave mistake,” the statement said.

The groups added that they did not recognise Mr Opah as an Abia APC member and rejected what they called “a repeat of the mistakes of 2023”. They warned that if the APC national leadership failed to intervene, they would limit their support in 2027 to President Bola Tinubu.

They also raised concerns about the small number of votes recorded for Mr Tinubu in the state during Saturday’s presidential primary. They attributed it to the disenfranchisement of members who registered electronically but had not yet received their voter cards.

“Our message is clear: respect the will of the people, recognise our strength, and ensure that Abia APC stands on the foundation of fairness, transparency, and genuine representation,” the groups stated.

In a separate statement, the Abia Youth Advocacy Network described the governorship primary as “a betrayal of the aspirations of Abia’s younger generation”.

The group stated that the emergence of a candidate largely unknown to the people “sends a discouraging message that competence and credibility do not matter in party politics”.

“Youths had hoped for a candidate who would embody energy, innovation, and inclusive governance,” the group added. “Instead, the APC has imposed a candidate without grassroots connection and visibility.”

It called on the APC National Working Committee to reject the result, warning that “if the outcome stands, our support will be directed solely to Tinubu”.

“Ikoh, we know. Ikoh has stood with Abia youths. But we ask sincerely: Who is Eric Opah? How can someone unknown to the people be imposed as the face of APC in the governorship race?” stated the group.

The party had declared Mr Opah, a businessman, as the winner of the May 21 governorship primaries, after he polled 126,977 votes against his lone challenger, Mr Ikoh, who got 5,905 votes.

(NAN)