The Abia State chapter of the All Progressive Congress has cautioned the State House of Assembly against carrying out a threat to suspend its Minority Leader, Chijioke Chukwu representing Bende North, for expressing his views about zoning in the state.

Chukwu had in an interview with a national paper (not Punch), last week, said the agitation over the 2023 zoning for the position of governor, was heating up the polity and a ploy to shift focus from the shortcomings of the present Peoples Democratic Party -led administration in the state.

Following his remarks, the leadership of the House, it was gathered, asked him to apologise or be prepared to be suspended.

The APC in a statement signed by its state Secretary, Perfect Okorie, said, “We have to make it clear that the APC sees the threat as an affront to democracy and will not in any way tolerate it. In fact, the position of the party is that a threat to the Minority Leader of the House, who is a member of APC, is a threat to the party itself.

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“It is not about him as a person, he is there representing his constituents and the APC, and has been standing firm to the principles and tenets of the party.

“He has remained the voice of opposition in the state and they cannot in anyway and any manner whatsoever try to cow him from standing up from what is right.

“Democracy must be allowed to thrive in Abia. We have had occasions where members of the PDP at the National Assembly including those from Abia have severally criticized President Muhammadu Buhari and nobody had threatened to suspend them.

“The party encourages Hon. Chukwu to continue to speak out when and where necessary, to continue to criticize all government policies that are detrimental to the welfare and well being of the people of Abia State.”