Action Alliance (AA), Imo State has set up a panel to investigate its abysmal failure in the recently held Imo North by-election.
The five-man panel was a fall-out of the party’s State Executive Council meeting, held at the state secretariat, Saturday.
The Isiala Mbano branch of the party had submitted a petition alleging compromise and sabotage during the election.
Upon the presentation of the petition, the leaders of the party unanimously agreed to set up the investigative panel.
The panel is headed by the party’s state Publicity Secretary, Dr. Stephen Anyamele, while Hon. Shedrack Anunihu is to serve as secretary.
In his remarks, the state chairman of the party, Comrade Ifeanyi Okponwa-Eze, urged the panel to do a thorough job and unmask those behind the party’s poor performance.
He stated that there was no way the party would have posted such poor outing if there was no conspiracy.
“The result of the election did not reflect the popularity of the party in the grassroots.
There are allegations of compromise against some of our principal officers, hence the constitution of the investigation panel. And any officer found wanting will never go scot free.
“We are working towards taking over governance in Imo State come 2023, and must not harbour moles in our midst.
No amount of rigging or paucity of funds would have brought the party so low in the election, because I was comfortable with the work done before the election proper.
“Personally, I suspect high level internal conspiracy against the party, and that will never thrive under my watch. With the caliber of persons in the panel, I have no doubt that the Augean Stable would be thoroughly cleansed.
“The chairman of the panel, Dr. Stephen Anyamele who is the party’s State Publicity Secretary, is a thorough bred educationist and a retired university lecturer. He is not a greenhorn in the politics of this clime. I am very sure, with him at the head, the panel will deliver.
“I am yet to come to terms with a development where our party’s polling booth agents were not seen at their duty posts when adequate arrangement was perfected to that effect. The officer of the party in charge of that assignment must give explanation on that ugly development.
“The principal officers of the party who wore the deceitful cloak of angels to shortchange the party, might have hinged their actions on pessimism, beclouded by the self induced thought that our candidate was far from clinching victory”, the chairman stated.
The panel, which has the mandate to invite any member of the party within the state for questioning, has two weeks to submit its report.