Top leaders and Chieftains of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Imo State, are on war path, over Saturday’s Ward Congress.
Though the exercise was adjudged peaceful in most parts of the State, the exercise, to a considerable extent, tore to shreds the relationship between party leaders.
In what appears a show of strength and perhaps, in a desperate bid to show to Governor Hope Uzodimma, their political strength and relevance in their domains, party leaders resorted to desperate measures to outwit each other.
The just concluded ward Congress opens a dangerous dimension in the party, and further widens the the gulf of discord between party leaders and loyalists of the Governor.
For instance in Ikeduru Local Government Area, it was a tug of war between Chief Charles Amadi, popularly called Chavon, and a group of leaders, who seem disenchanted with the manner the Congress was hijacked by the latter.
Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, a chieftain of the APC and former Commissioner of Information in the State, pointedly accused Chavon of “recruiting non APC members” to be part of the exercise.
He further alleged that Chavon hijacked the ward congress in Ikeduru LGA, as part of his gimmick to desperately impose his son, as candidate of the APC for Mbaike Federal House of Reps seat in 2023.
Ikeduru LGA is the home of the State Deputy Governor, Prof Placid Njoku, whom Ajumbe alleged, was also maligned by Chavon.
In Owerri North LGA, the story is not different. Two camps within the party have sharply emerged.
The duo of Prince Lemmy Akakem and Chief Henry Njoku (Harritex), are locked in a fierce scramble for the soul of the party in the LGA.
Parallel Congress were said to have been held as both camps await which group gets the upper hand in the evolving the political chess game.
Investigations by INNONEWS revealed that the case is similar in various local governments of the State, as tons of petitions have continued to flood the Congress Appeal Commitee on the conduct of the ward congress in the State.
Several lists containing names of ward party officials,were alleged to have been prepared in various homes of party leaders, to the exclusion of party stakeholders.
This is a sharp departure from the posture of Governor Hope Uzodimma, who had called for inclusiveness among party members prior to the Congress.