The Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in Abia State, Hon. Peter Azubuike, has faulted the decision of former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, to resign from the Federal Executive Council to seek re-election to the House of Representatives.

Azubuike said Onyejeocha, who represented Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency for four consecutive terms between 2007 and 2023, should have remained in the cabinet instead of returning to contest the same seat in the 2027 general election.

Speaking with journalists on Monday at the party’s state secretariat in Umuahia while reviewing his administration’s first 100 days in office, the LP chairman argued that Onyejeocha’s continued stay in the Federal Executive Council would have enabled Abia State to retain a ministerial position while allowing the incumbent lawmaker, Hon. Godwin Amobi Ogah, to continue representing the constituency.

Onyejeocha, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), recently secured her party’s ticket to challenge Ogah in the 2027 House of Representatives election.

Although he acknowledged that the former minister has every constitutional right to seek elective office, Azubuike questioned the rationale behind her decision to return to the National Assembly after serving for 16 years.
“She has every right to contest the election as many times as she wishes, but the question is: what is she going back to the House of Representatives to achieve after spending four terms there?” he asked.

He expressed confidence that the Labour Party would retain the seat, predicting that Ogah would defeat Onyejeocha for a second consecutive time, just as he did in the 2023 general election.
“If the election were held today or any other day, Hon. Godwin Ogah would win again. In fact, all Labour Party candidates in Abia State would emerge victorious,” Azubuike declared.

According to him, the party remains firmly rooted across the state and enjoys overwhelming support among the electorate.
The LP chairman also dismissed claims of divisions within the party, insisting that there is only one Labour Party recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

 

He described the Julius Abure-led group at the national level and the Ceekay Igara faction in Abia as distractions, maintaining that the party in the state had moved beyond internal disagreements.
“We have only one Labour Party recognised by INEC. Those parading themselves as parallel groups are diversionary. The party has since moved beyond where they are,” he said.

Reviewing the performance of his executive committee after its first 100 days in office, Azubuike said the party had successfully conducted peaceful primary elections for the 2027 general elections and had since embarked on reconciliation efforts to strengthen internal cohesion.

“We conducted peaceful primaries that produced our candidates without rancour. Thereafter, we reached out to aggrieved members and put in place a clear roadmap for the continued growth and progress of the party in Abia State,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the Labour Party would remain a formidable political force in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.