*BY TONY IHEANYI*
Former Imo State Governor, Ikedi Ohakim and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Imo State have reacted fiercely to the ward Congress of the All Progressive Congress, APC in Imo State.
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The congress ended in drama and intrigue at the weekend leaving on its trail discordant tunes from two powerful factions in the party.
Ohakim in a lengthy statement authored by his Chief Press Secretary, Collins Ughalla at the weekend said on Saturday, May 5, 2018, he sent out 150 able bodied and intelligent Imo youths to cover the congress in the 305 wards in the State.
“The report from this 150 Imo youths leaves very bad taste in the mouth as the APC practically failed in conducting ordinary ward congress” Ohakim said in his statement.
Part of the statement reads “It is very worrisome and shameful how otherwise respectable men and women of Imo State were holding each other by the jugular in order to hold on to power. The embarrassing disappearance of the materials and personnel meant for the ward congress and the undue dragging of the security personnel in the state into the matter is an indication of a failed party and government which have been run on suspicion, division, backstabbing, greed and lack of love for the people of the state. What could be more embarrassing than the Governor running helter skelter, from police station to private homes of party leaders in frenetic search for congress materials?
“What of the accusation that the Governor cornered the national officers meant to conduct the ward congress? Whereas it is not in our character to mock people who have failed or reaped their just harvest, we can only ask Governor Okorocha not to mourn any longer but to realise that what goes around comes around. We also need to tell Imo people that we saw it coming.
“The embarrassing APC ward congress has further confirmed our position that the Governor is a man terribly incapable of organizing people and resources to achieve a given goal. His failure to hold the APC ward congress speaks volume of his general failure in government and highlights the kind of failure Imo people have lived with for 7 years.
“We urge Governor Okorocha to purse for a minute and ponder over the following wise sayings: “Out of the eater came something to be eaten”, “He who lives by the sword will die by the sword”, and “the measure with which you measured to others, it shall be measured to you also”.
In a related development, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Imo State in a statement titled “APC, Imo State: A Party of Gangsters and Anti Democracy Elements” signed by its Publicity Secretary, Damian Opara expressed worry how “ a mere ward congress turned into a circus show among the deluge of shenanigans and the electoral kleptomanics in the APC. Imo people watched in utter disbelief the open manipulation and counter-manipulation of the people’s will between Governor Rochas Okorocha and other APC stalwarts otherwise known as “Allied Forces” against the governor”
“While the PDP do not wish to dabble into the circumstances which heralded the shameful Ward Congress of the APC, Imo State, it is however, instructive to alert Imo people of the dangers of entrusting their mandate with the APC again or with anything associated with it. It is now obvious that the APC cannot be trusted. A vote for APC in 2019 translates into encouraging unending pains, starvation, hunger, suppression and intimidation of the people.
“It takes two to compare. The difference apparently is now clear and that is the incontestable fact that the PDP remains the only true democratic and people-oriented party in Nigeria. On the contrary, the APC is a wicked and rudderless contraption hurriedly packaged to deceive people with false promises which till date, they have not been able to fulfil. Imo people are witnesses to these facts” the PDP stated