This may not be the best of times for members, officials and candidates of Accord Party in Imo State. This is following an irreconcilable crisis of confidence and differences that have since encapsulated the fledgling party barely three weeks to the gubernatorial election.
According to sources close to the new factional Chairman of the party who prefers anonymity, the former Chairman has been embroidered in an integrity scandal for quite sometimes refusing entreaties to redeem his battered image. The embattled former State Chairman of Accord Party, Mr. ThankGod Ibe from Amiri in Oru East LGA, was accused of embezzling party funds of about N100 million. Most of the funds were proceeds of party nominations forms for aspirants to the various state and National Assembly elections, that of the Governorship and Deputy Governorship candidates and donations from other sources including the Presidency, which he was accused of paying into his private bank account in UBA no 2011031477 instead of the party official bank account in UBA no 1018783015.
The last straw that broke the camel’s back was an action to deposit the over one hundred million, released to the party in Imo State by Aso Rock Authorities in appreciation of AP’s endorsement of his candidature. As at the time of going to the press, a petition to the effect that Mr. ThankGod Ibe has allegedly directed prospective aspirants under the AP platform to pay for their nomination forms into his personal UBA account against the provisions of the party’s constitution, which demands that all such money be deposited with the Accord Party’s UBA account no 1018783015. Meanwhile, the state’s gubernatorial candidate who was accused of shielding ThankGod Ibe from possible investigation and prosecution has maintained sealed tongues.
To achieve this conspiracy, it was learnt that the Accord Party candidate has been attending his political campaigns and rallies without members of the state executives of the party.
At an Executive Committee meeting of the party, SWC split into two with about 80% of the State Working Committee (SWC) passed a vote of No confidence on ThankGod Ibe with a decision to adopt a new factional Chairman by Wednesday March 25, 2015. The faction is also weighing the option of adopting another gubernatorial candidate in the event Mr. Ken Ojiri does not retrace his steps from supporting the criminally minded ThankGod Ibe and urge him to make available all the party’s funds, he allegedly stole.
The State Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Bryan O.C Agu when approached to comment on the development which is an ill wind, confirmed the existence of a splinter group and referred the correspondent to EFCC on how true; it is that EFCC is the one to confirm whether there is such a petition. He however admitted that ThankGod Ibe has been involved in some unethical and unconstitutional conducts the reason why he sees himself as the Nebuchadnezzar of Accord Party. Effort; to reach the director, media/publicity of EFCC proved abortive.
Furthermore, the State Publicity secretary of Accord Party who is also the Publisher/editor-in-Chief of Diamond Express newspapers said that the Chairman has unilaterally decided to castrate his own conscience on the lure of lusty lucre.
He went further to say that the Chairman cannot deny assertively the fact that he deliberately, consciously, wickedly, intentionally and unilaterally decided to perpetrate the alleged fraud with-out recourse to the grave and criminal implications and its adverse effect to the party ahead of the election.
