The Chairman of the Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Austin Onyedebelu, has said Owerri Zone can only realise its ambition of producing the state’s next governor if it demonstrates electoral strength by delivering victories for the ruling party in the 2027 general elections.
Mr Onyedebelu stated this on Thursday during the APC’s interactive meeting with stakeholders from Orlu Zone, the final leg of a statewide consultation with grassroots party leaders. The meeting had in attendance members of the State Executive Committee, local government party chairmen, ward chairmen, council chairmen, councillors and other party officials.
According to him, Orlu Zone is prepared to support the transfer of power to Owerri Zone, but such support must be earned through commitment to the party’s success at the polls. “We are ready to pass the governorship baton to Owerri Zone if they are ready by demonstrating their preparedness, beginning with the 2027 general elections,” he said.
The APC chairman also announced that Governor Hope Uzodimma had approved the construction of a new state secretariat for the party, describing it as a project that would provide the ruling party with a befitting administrative headquarters. He added that the governor had equally approved buses for all local government party chairmen, while plans were underway to provide mobility support for ward chairmen.
Seeking to allay concerns over the party’s nomination process, Mr Onyedebelu dismissed reports of possible candidate substitutions, insisting that all APC candidates had already been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). “We have uploaded all our candidates to the INEC portal, so there is no issue of substitution. Our focus now is to win the elections because we have enough achievements to campaign with,” he said.
He also directed all ward chairmen to constitute 27 booth executives within two weeks, stressing that those selected must be registered voters with valid Permanent Voter Cards and should be chosen based on competence rather than family relationships.
Earlier, the party’s State Secretary, Hon. Onyekachi Ibezim, said the engagement was organised to obtain direct feedback from grassroots officials on issues that could affect the APC’s electoral performance, describing ward leaders as the foundation of the party’s political structure.
Responding on behalf of Orlu Zone, the APC Zonal Chairman, Hon. Frank Onyejiaka, assured the state leadership that the zone would remain firmly behind the ruling party. “We must win this election because the Governor is our son and currently occupies a strategic leadership position in the APC. Orlu Zone is ready, and we will deliver this party at all costs because the Governor is our son,” he said.
