Palpable tension has gripped residence ofImoStatefollowing a tug of war raging between the State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha of the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA, and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
In the last few weeks, both parties have been doing battle over who controls the twenty seven local Government Areas in the state.
This followed a court of Appeal judgment which ordered that the PDP Council chairmen, who were sacked by Okorocha, should return to their offices, after having spent nearly a year out of office, while the legal battle raged.
However, sensing that the return of the council chairmen would distort his economic and political strategies, the incumbent administration tried to stop the council chairmen from assuming office but failed.
Unfortunately, the Okorocha government, after accepting the returnee chairmen, used government power, to send top local government officials home, and therefore rendering the chairmen politically impotent.
Since then, the government has been playing for time hoping to send the council chairmen packing yesterday August 8, 2012, when their purported two years tenure would have ended.
Suspecting that Okorocha would make good his threat, the chairmen went to an Owerri High Court, presided over by Justice Ngozi Opara, to obtain an injunction barring Okorocha from sacking them a second time.
Therefore, the council chairmen who are all members of the PDP, have since dug in in the LGAs, but without funds and other praphelelia of office to run the councils, as Owelle Okorocha has refused to agree with them in any compromise yet.
While these developments unfold, the PDP has continued to rain allegations on APGA, claiming that Okorocha is lawless and not a democrat, while APGA also accuses PDP of flouting the same court order, by not waiting until government’s appeal at the Supreme Court against theAppeal Courtjudgment runs its full course.
These unfolding scenarios have put Imo residence under tension, as people are confused over the real situation in the state. This is coupled with frequent kidnapping incidents which has put the citizens on their toes.
The Civil Servants are also confused, as they don’t know between the state government or the council chairmen, which one to take instructions from.
As at the time of going to press, some council chairmen have frozen the accounts of the LGAs while some top LGA officials who were ordered home by the state government, have received counter – orders from the LGA chairmen asking them to return to work or lose their jobs.
Under this development, Imo people, including those on the streets are confused of what is the real situation in the LGAs and the state in general, even as rumour mongers have taken the situation to dizzying height with unsubstantiated news.
