The Imo State chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC joined others in the federation to organize the much expected State Congress to elect officers of the party last weekend.
Expectedly, the Congress had the trappings involved in politics as officers emerged to form a new state exco and working committee.
At the end of the Congress, former chairman of Owerri Municipal LGA, Hon Macdonald Kelechi Ebere emerged victorious as the new party Chairman with a two time member who represented Okigwe North in the House of Reps, Mathew Omegara as Deputy Chairman. Other categories of officers also got elected under a consensus arrangement where the delegates from the 27 LGAs used voice votes to endorse their emergence.
Considering what transpired at the renamed Heroes Square now known as Ndubuisi Kanu Square on Concorde Hotel road, New Owerri two Saturdays ago, Trumpeta observed that there are losers and gainers after the show.
Even as a faction of the party under the control of the former governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha has made a mockery of the exercise, it is certain that his political family and that of another strong politician in the state, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume are losers.
The Okorocha camp has been insisting that the dissolution of the elected state exco who came on board in 2018 under Hon Dan Nwafor still subsist and remains the authentic state exco.
Following the inability of the Nwafor led exco to give necessary support to the APC governorship candidate of the 2019 election, Senator Hope Uzodinmma, the then national chairman Adams Oshiomole sent Nwafor and co packing leading to the appointment of Chief Marcon Nlemigbo as chairman of the caretaker committee.
Nwafor backed by Okorocha’s faction not only went to court to kick against the action of Oshiomole and National Working Committee but persistently claimed Nlemigbo’s existence was a ruse and illegal.
However, irrespective of the disregard the Nwafor group gave to Nlemigbo, the national office continued to give relevance to Nlemigbo until this new exco led by Ebere birthed two weeks ago.
Despite the Nwafor tackles, the national office still recognized all the party congresses of the state chapter including that of last October 16th that produced Nlemigbo’s successor, Ebere.
It would be recalled that Okorocha and Araraume including their supporters never took part in the ward and LGA Congress thereby making them outsiders in the party they claimed to have been pioneer members.
Trumpeta gathered that from the ward to LGA and State offices none of their sympathisers picked a position to represent their interest in the new set up.
This newspaper further learnt that except for Honourables Chike Okafor and Chidimma Onuoha of Okigwe South and North Federal Constituencies who joined the Uzodinma camp of APC to take part in the Congress, the other federal lawmakers of the lower national assembly from Imo like Reps Ugonna Ozuruigbo, Uju Kingsley Chima and Paschal Obi have no stake in the party again at the moment. It was learnt that they were not part of the Congresses to elect new executives of the party that produced Ebere as chairman.
Similarly, the Araraume’s political dynasty: the Destiny Organization suffered similar fate like the Okorocha’s followers. After losing the bid to pick APC Senate ticket for Okigwe zone, he was no longer in the mainstream of the party to the extent the Congresses happened without his input.
Not left out in the losers company is the Coalition group of Imo APC. In the build up to the APC national Congress of 2018, a strong political force known as coalition group emerged to challenge those of Okorocha when he was governor. Their opposition to Okorocha’s dominance polarized interest in the ruling party before the incumbent governor Senator Hope Uzodinma came in with his Camp Hope structure. The Coalition joined forces with Camp Hope adherents to make mincemeat of the ambition of Okorocha having his son in-law, Chief Uche Nwosu become successor and Imo State governor in 2019.
The affinity between Uzodinma’s Camp Hope and Coalition continued after the election and blossomed when Supreme Court declared the APC governorship candidate winner of the election against PDP’s Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha who had been on the saddle for seven months in Government House, Owerri.
In view of the outcome of the recent Congress, it appears the bond of affinity between Camp Hope and Coalition has broken since no prominent leader of the Coalition got into the exco and working committee of the state. Also, they didn’t have nominees. Trumpeta further learnt that several political buddies of Okorocha when he came into power like his Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, former Secretary to the State Government under his regime, Chief Jude Ejiogu and Sir George Eche including other appointees and associates dumped their favourite Rescue Mission political family of the former governor to join Coalition that latter collapsed into Camp Hope for the 2019 governorship.
Today, the present exco of Imo APC indicates that Madumere, Eche, Ejiogu and others have completely lost out in the struggle to control the party structure in the state.
Very obvious among those of the Coalition are Nlemigbo and his caretaker team. There were reports before the state Congress of APC that Nlemigbo may get another nod to lead the party alongside others in his out gone exco.
The political background and support base of the new ward, LGA and state leaves no one in doubt that winners and losers emerged at the end of the Congresses.
