The rampaging coronavirus, is taking its toll on the political landscape in Imo State, putting a halt to political gatherings and meetings, particularly within the fold two dominant parties in the State, the All Progressive Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The APC in the State, prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, was heading for a fresh row between the Marcellinus Nlemigbo led caretaker committee, and the Dan Nwafor led faction, which also claims to be the state party executives.
The Nwafor faction had announced the suspension of the Nlemigbo led Caretaker Committee.This increased the intensity of the crisis in the party.
There has been a cold war in Imo APC for a long time over which faction heads the party despite clear signals that Nlemigbo led Caretaker Committee, enjoys legitimacy in the eyes of the National Working Committee, NWC led by Adams Oshiomole.
Nlemigbo had summoned an emergency meeting of stakeholders, scheduled to hold at Imo Concorde Hotel, Owerri, on March 21, 2020, to brainstorm on the development before he called it off giving the coronavirus pandemic as reasons.
The leading opposition party in the State, the PDP’s operations, are also hit by the coronavirus pandemic. It had to suspend its State congress in observance of social distancing, as part of measures to check the spread of the pandemic in the state.
The party’s ward and local government congress, had been concluded amidst complaints by some stakeholders and members, that the exercise fell short of expectations and was manipulated to favour a particular politician in the party.
Hostilities are expected to resume in the party after the pandemic slows down at a time no one can decipher. The party has rather raised the bar in its opposition to the APC led government in the State by strong criticizing it’s policies.
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