BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

A war   of attrition and crisis of confidence   is now raging among members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Imo State, following the alleged imposition of candidates on the party by the state government.

The situation is, however, becoming more complicated as nobody at press time, has either expressed willingness to vie for the governorship seat or purchased the party’s form for the post.


In the absence of a governorship aspirant on the party’s platform, an angry party loyalist, who simply identified himself as Chike, reasoned that “it was carefully fashioned in such a way that if Governor Rochas Okorocha fails in his presidential bid,   he would quickly return to Owerri to seek a second term”.

Some other aggrieved aspirants told Vanguard in Owerri that while they were busy making last minute contacts,   consultations and lobbying   preparatory for the party’s primaries, the state government allegedly compiled a list of candidates for the various positions, which it carefully kept to it’s chest.

“The burble   burst last Monday at the Government House, Owerri, when at a crucial   meeting of the party, which was well attended by party executives, local government and ward chairmen, bewildered aspirants were shown the list already approved”, one of the aggrieved persons fumed.

Vanguard also gathered that apparently jolted by this development, confusion, anxiety and trepidation took the centre stage, while the aggrieved aspirants angrily staged a walk out from the venue.

Speaking also on the issue, an APC chieftain and a former   chairman of Oru West Local   Government Council, who pleaded anonymity, warned that “the   party would have plotted its own downfall in the next election” should the list submitted to them be upheld.

“Why should the government   impose candidates on us? Are we fools? We should face the primaries and whoever   wins, we shall support him. There should be no imposition or harmonization”, the man warned.

When Vanguard visited the party’s state secretariat in Owerri, Tuesday, heavily armed mobile policemen were stationed at the main entrance   gate, the venue for primaries for the state House of Assembly.

Although some “well connected APC chieftains” were seen shuttling between the party secretariat and Government House, what transpired within the secretariat remained a mystery as at the time of going to the press. It was not clear if the primaries eventually held or the adopted list was upheld.

Speculations are rife that some aggrieved members   had begun discussions on their next line   of action, including mass defection to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.


Source: Vanguard