By okey alozie
Despite the emergence of a new state executive council of the All Progressive Congress, APC after last weekend’s congress of the in Imo State, there is still wide gulf among major players of the party as appointees of the state government under Rochas Okorocha are facing tackles from other stakeholders and party stalwarts.
The build up to APC congress from the ward to LGA levels has witnessed skirmishes resulting to protests and threats to decamp from the party by aggrieved persons who felt disgusted from the conduct of the primaries. Apart from the member representing Owerri Federal Constituency, Ezenwa Onyewuchi who dumped the party for Hon PDP, the erstwhile interim party chairman, Prince Marshall Okaforanyanwu has called it quits with APC.
At the end of the state congress exercise held at Ahiajoku Centre where Hilary Ekeh from Ezihitte Mbaise and others emerged as exco members, more members of the party who are uncomfortable with the harmonization exercise that produced the new persons in charge are also threatening to quit APC.
Their grouse was that the wishes of the generality of party members were traded off by some government appointees like Commissioners and senior office holders who nominated unpopular and unwanted candidates to take up ward, LGA and state exco positions in the harmonization agenda.
Most party stalwarts who have no portfolio in government lost out in nominating and forwarding names even as their favourite candidates were ignored at the expense of those forwarded to the state governor by his appointees.
What Trumpeta learnt further disturbed the stakeholders was that Governor Okorocha allegedly only concentrated on the nominees forwarded to him by his appointees, but also picked unpopular candidates to spite the main stakeholders of the party.
In Oguta, and Oru East a top aide of the governor was accused of hand-picking the officials while Okorocha was alleged to have imposed the former ISOPADEC Board Chairmen. Rev Emma Ebomuche, as Ohaji/Egbema LGA APC chairman, an action that is unacceptable to the party loyalists. Same can be said of Isiala Mbano LGA where a party chieftain, Chief Ralph Ohalete hinted that APC is at the verge of losing thousands of supporters as a result of problem created in the congresses by some office occupiers who call themselves party leaders.
He berated the action and behavior of some Commissioners and other Government appointees who circumvented the action of interim leaders who according to him worked assiduously to keep the party to its present position.
Chief Ohalete therefore called on Governor Rochas Okorocha to wade into the escalating issue to avert the brewing danger which he said is capable of turning the party up side down in the state.
Chief Ralph is of the opinion that interested members should be allowed to stand in for election during congress.
The imposition of candidates on the people is undemocratic and unacceptable” he said.
Some of the leaders who spoke under strict anonymity to our reporter hinted that if nothing is done to address the anomalies that trailed the recent state congress, LGA and that of various wards in Imo, things may become worse to Governor Rochas Okorocha and his men.
The source further hinted that so many members boycotted the congress held at the weekend because of high handedness and leadership style of Governor Okorocha who claims he is on rescue mission.
Other members who spoke to Trumpeta newspapers narrated how they were short-changed and denied the ward congress and pushed out of the state congress.
Hon. Okechukwu Madukwe also warned of an impending political danger in the state.
Political analysts in the state have called for the cancelation of all the congresses of APC held in the state because it is un-democratic.
