Three major political parties in Imo State are at a frenetic pace to win the November 11, 2023, governorship election.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, the Labour Party, LP, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and the Action Alliance, AA, are part of the 17 political parties jostling to win the contest.
The APC governorship candidate, Senator Hope Uzodimma, who is seeking reelection, is up against strong opponents of the Labour Party, Athan Achonu, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
Despite the unimpressive approach to issue-driven campaigns by all the candidates, which analysts say would limit the chances of voters making informed choices at the polls, the intensity of the election has indeed picked up after months of drab campaigns and political sleep walking.
A month before the polls, the APC has set up a governorship campaign committee to mobilize for the governor’s re-election.
According to party sources, Vice President Kashim Shettima, is expected in Owerri, .on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, to inaugurate the Campaign Council.
Many fault the timing of the Inauguration of the Council of the APC, coming barely a month before the election.
Concern has been expressed over the sloppy level of mobilization for votes by the three leading candidates, a factor that can be attributed to insecurity, which has plagued the state for more than three years.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, expressed worry last week over the level of insecurity in the state.
However, the Labour Party (LP) candidate Senator Athan Achonu, and his Running Mate, Tony Nwulu, have campaigned in over 10 local governments across the state.
“We have defied the odds and, unfazed by the insecurity in the state, we will continue to visit the hinterlands for campaigns,” said Martins Okere, a chieftain of the LP.
A data collection group, the Centre for Democratic Rights (CDR, had, in a 17-page report sent to INNONEWS, predicted an “unpredictable and dicey contest if the elections are free, fair, and credible.”
