By Our Reporters
The little cohesion left among members of the Imo State chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC has been shattered following last weekend’s congress held to elect ward excos in the 365 INEC wards of the state.
Events of last Saturday further exposed the internal wrangling rocking Imo APC where the party is engulfed in intra party crisis. Apart from factional differences where the group belonging to former Governor Rochas Okorocha is claiming leadership of the party through the Dan Nwafor led state executive, schisms among supporters of Governor Hope Uzodinma is eating deep into the fabrics of the party.
From what the newspaper observed before, during and after the ward congress, the party under the leadership of the governor has torn into shreds after the congresses.
Trumpeta learnt that the hallmark of the congress was the emergence of parallel exercise held at different wards which saw to the brandishing of different lists of names of executives after the program.
Our reporters who monitored the exercise in different LGAs of the wards revealed that most of the leaders were at each others throat as different results were produced from the results. As at the concluding of the exercise in most areas, no authentic list was produced as winners.
Trumpeta further learnt that it has become complaints galore on the part of the leaders who produced different results claiming to have conducted the congress.
Last Saturday, APC Owerri-West LGA, Imo State, joined other LGAs in the State to organize her ward Congresses which overall monitored results spoke of a huge success in the three blocs of Ara, Ochie and Umunwaoha which make up the LGA, howbeit, there were skirmishes in some wards.
Most of the areas visited conducted their exercise through harmonization except in Ihiagwa ward 6( Ochie bloc) where issues marred the exercise even as at the time of filing this report.
In the same bloc, it was a smooth outing in the Nekede, Eziobodo and Emeabiam wards while in Ara bloc, the State Majority leader (IMHA) Kanayo Onyemaechi exhibited leadership dexterity in the Oforola/ Avu ward 6. Obinze ward 8, Umuguma and Okuku wards also had a smooth sail.
In the Umunwaoha bloc, the Ndegwu/Amakohia Ubi/ Ohii ward 9 congress was held at Ndegwu Primary School field where an APC party stalwart, Barrister Charles Jaja told Trumpeta Newspaper that everything went well as the exercise was on consensus basis.
At the St Paul’s Primary School Irete where Orogwe/ Irete ward 10 held her congress, a three man State APC Congress officials led by Mr Vincent Nlekerem was seen conducting the congress while some INEC State officials were also seen observing.
Although the INEC officials avoided the Press, Mr Nlekerem said he was satisfied with the conduct of the exercise while some party Stalwarts such as Sir Noble Abiaso Atulegwu, Barrister BC Nzimako, Hon Jerome Anorue, Barrister CJ Ihemedu affirmed that the congress which produced Mr Chukwuma Ononiwu as Chairman was free and fair.
Another of our reporter states that the fight at the field was between CampHope and the Coalition group, but at last the Camp that is more loyal to the Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma had an upper hand.
In Aboh Mbaise LGA, CampHope led by Dr Ik Njoku and Chief Charles Ogu stamped their authority on the coalition group.
Report has it that Chief Charles Ogu and his CampHope group came out very early at central school Eke Nguru to outsmart the Coalition group by conducting their own congress.
Few minutes later, the Coalition group came in and had their own congress, but Chief Ogu as we gathered was faster to submit his list to the Coalition Centre before Coalition.
The positions contested were up to 27 at ward 004 Nguru Nweke in Aboh Mbaise LGA.
The same thing happened in Nguru Nwe-Nkwo and Nguru Nweafor where Dr Iyke Njoku came from.
In Amuzu, the home community of the IMC chairman of Aboh Mbaise, Hon Bar. Emma Njoku, CampHope also humiliated the Coalition group and other factions of APC that came out for the congress.
Coalition group is now said to have lost in all the 12 wards of Aboh Mbaise and the group has started protesting against what happened on ground during the congress last Saturday.
In Ahiazu Mbaise, the story was different because the Camp Hope group led by the council Boss, Hon Chief Lary Chikwe and party chairman, Engr Ethel Ugwu lost out even in their own ward.
We were told that those that were projected by the party chairman, Engr Ugwu were defeated with wide margin at the congress.
At Ogbe ward 1 in Ahiazu Mbaise, the candidate alleged to have been projected by the caretaker chairman pulled out when he discovered that he was going to loose as ward chairman.
In Ezinihite Mbaise, there was serious harmonization between the leaders which eventually settled all the scores and there was peace during the congress.
The same thing happened in all the wards in Ngor Okpala but the truth is that CampHope gained upper hand with Mayor Nweke the IMC chairman leading the harmonization team to resolved the crisis there.
Report from the congress revealed that there was submission of parallel lists on the issue of LGA delegates. This parallel submission of the lists led to a big fight at the congress.
The leaders from the two Camps fought dirty before the public as we gathered. Those who observed the fight between the Coalition and Camp Hope described it as show of shame.
