Since the 2023 election, Usulor has not been part of our activities. We have since conducted elections and established leadership structures at all levels
By Eze Victor, Abakaliki
The Ebonyi State chapter of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) has dismissed allegations by its 2023 governorship candidate, Comrade Tony Usulor, that the party’s structure in the state has been merged with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement released on Monday by the state chairman, Hon. Ogodo Stanley, on behalf of the party’s executives, stakeholders, and members, the NRM described the claim as false, misleading, and driven by political interests.
Ogodo alleged that Usulor was attempting to leverage the NRM’s name and structure to secure political relevance and possible patronage from the APC-led government in Ebonyi State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He stated that Usulor had disengaged from the party’s activities since after the 2023 elections and therefore lacked the authority to speak for the party or make pronouncements about its organisational status.
“You cannot collapse what you abandoned,” Ogodo said, adding that Usulor’s former role as governorship candidate did not grant him lifelong control over the party’s leadership or structures.
According to him, the NRM has remained active and functional since the last general elections, with updated membership records and duly conducted internal elections across state, local government, and ward levels.
Ogodo further argued that Usulor could not credibly claim knowledge of or authority over the party’s current structure, noting that he has been absent from its activities for a long time.
“Since after the 2023 election, Usulor has not been part of our activities. We have since conducted elections and established leadership structures at all levels,” he said.
The chairman dismissed the alleged merger with the APC as “political fabrication,” insisting that the NRM remains an independent political party guided by its constitution and recognised leadership.
He also accused Usulor of attempting to use the party’s identity as a bargaining chip in his political engagements with the state government.
While acknowledging Usulor’s constitutional right to join any political party of his choice, Ogodo stressed that defection does not amount to transferring or dissolving a party’s structure.
“If Tony Usulor has decided to join the APC, that is his right. But defection is not acquisition, and personal supporters cannot be equated with the official structure of the NRM,” he said.
He challenged the former candidate to identify the current state, local government, and ward executives of the party if he still claimed any authority over it.
Ogodo warned that the party would not tolerate any attempt by individuals to appropriate its identity or structures for personal political gain.
“The NRM is not anyone’s private political property. It belongs to its members and operates strictly under its constitution and legitimate leadership,” he said.
He urged the public, political actors, government officials, and the media to disregard any claim suggesting that Usulor represents or controls the NRM in Ebonyi State.
Reaffirming the party’s position, Ogodo said the NRM remains focused on strengthening its structures and advancing its political agenda in line with its constitution.
He advised Usulor to pursue his political ambitions through any platform of his choice without involving the NRM.
“Go wherever you choose, but do not drag the NRM into your political negotiations. You cannot claim to collapse what you abandoned, nor can you own a structure you are no longer part of,” he added.