Chief Charles Ogbonnaya

 PDP stalwart in the eye of the storm over his pronouncement over 2023 Abia governorship election, Chief Charles Ogbonnaya, (Evulogu Ibeku), says there is no going back on his stand that no Ngwa man will become governor of Abia State in 2023.

Chief Ogbonnaya, a member of Abia PDP's Elders Council was recorded in a video pouring libation  and declaring that no Ngwa man will become governor in 2023.

His action stirred controversy, as the  people of Isiala Ngwa North LGA took exception to   libation pouring act which  they described as capable of disrupting the political peace of the state, arguing  that it is their constitutional right to contest for any position of their choice

Chief Ogbonnaya in his reaction  to the controversy admitted that he may have made a mistake by pouring a libation, nonethe less,  he maintained that the governorship position will not go to the Ngwa zone

“I may have made a mistake when I was pouring libation that no Ngwa man;  I meant that in 2023 no Ngwa man will be governor, I still maintain it and I will work hard to make sure that no Ngwa man becomes the governor come 2023, there is no going back to that”, he affirmed

He told journalists at his residence Monday  that the same people kicking for Gvernor Okezie Ikpeazu to hand over power to the people of Ngwa were against him when he was contesting for governorship position in 2015.

“We took it upon ourselves for them to come back and accept Okezie Ikpeazu as governor

“Okezie Ikpeazu’s friend came to my house one early morning, he woke me up and asked me why I am supporting Okezie Ikpeazu as governor and I looked at him, brought my drink, gave to him and asked him to leave.

“There was serious opposition against him , but as God may have it, because we have the capacity, we were able to deliver him two times.”

 According to him: “I generated a single donation, the highest donation you can think of to Okezie Ikpeazu which no Ngwa man was able to raise(he did not mention the amount).

“If  I hate Ngwa people, how come I was that serious to make sure that Okezie Ikpeazu was governor and I still support him to be governor, I still advise him frankly? Ogbonnaya queried.

He also revealed that the governor had informed him ab- initio that he will hand over power to a younger person from Isiala Ngwa North/South, Osisioma.

“And I told him no. He turned around today to hand over to a 75-year-old man. What is a 75-year-old man going to do after being the rector of ABSU, wrecked that place down, and you are bringing him to come and wreck Abia down? We say no.

“I want to use this opportunity to tell Ngwa people that I am not their enemy and I don’t hate them for anything.

“Okezie Ikpeazu is my friend but if he decides to throw me away as a friend, so be it. I brought him, I, Charles Ogbonnaya made sure that he became governor I brought him and gave him to the people that made him governor

He pleaded with the PDP to ‘prevail on Ikpeazu to zone the governorship seat to Abia North where it naturally belongs’.

There has been speculations that Gov Ikpeazu prefers former Vice Chancellor of Abia State University Uturu (ABSU), Professor Eleazar  Ikonne as his successor.

Dailyledger.ng.com reports that the zoning of the governorship ticket to Abia North and Central by the PDP is still raising dust in the polity