The Imo State chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC is on fire as loyalty of some grassroot leaders are now sharply divided between Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha and Senator Ifeanyi Araraume
Reports, though unverified said no fewer than 14 Local Government Chairmen of the party in the State have switched their allegiance to Arararume.
Araraume is known to be working the round to pocket the soul of the party having gained an upper hand in the Delegates list of the party.
Sources said the senator’s camp moved swiftly into the party leaders at the grassroots when it discovered that most of them are disenchanted on the manner the party has been run in the last two years by the governor.
Investigation reveal that the senator penetrated the APC camp using key stakeholders in the party especially those sympathetic to his cause to woo LGA officers with mouth watering offers.
This newspaper had reported last week that the senator has sucesfully engaged top APC chieftains to his camp such as former Commissioner for Agriculture, Longers Anyanwu, former JAMB Board member, Amugo Ugoji, former House of Reps member, Hon.Ernest Ibejiako, Former Mayor of Owerri, Gibson Achonwa Njemanze (Oyiga), former lawmaker, Hon.Independence Ogunewe and Body Esom Obodo, popularly known as the Prince of Oil kingdom.
Last week, those driving his Destiny Organization in Owerri zone drummed their support for the senator insisting he is the only formidable force that can unseat Rochas Okorocha in 2019.
It was gathered that Okorocha’s camp may have lost confidence in the party leaders and this was one of the factors it had to appoint 27 commissioners from each of the local governments in the State to keep an eye in the LGAs in company with APC lawmakers.
This development has set the platform for radical intra party activities as the State Exco of the party is said to have put up a monitoring unit to monitor where the LGA party chairmen attend meetings.
An LGA chairman who pleaded anonymity refused to confirm this ongoing development but simply said ” a lot is going on in Imo APC”
Before now, two local government chairmen had comes under the axe of the party leadership over issues bordering on loyalty.