Imo APC lawmakers reject LGA Congress holding today

CONFUSION has continued to brew over the scheduled local government congress of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Imo State, holding today.

The confusion started with the rejection of the planned congress by some state lawmakers of the APC extraction led by Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr. Acho Ihim who are loyal to the Okorocha administration.

Also present when the House members led by Speaker Acho Ihim were briefing journalists yesterday, were members of the House of Representatives from Imo state, Chike Okafor, representing Okigwe South constituency and Nnanna Igbokwe, representing Ahiazu and Ezinihitte Mbaise constituency.

Ihim said: “We call on the IGP for a thorough investigation relating to all results sheets for the 305 wards and local governments of the state.

“We are worried that the state chapter of APC has announced the holding of local government congress on Monday (today) 14th May, 2018, contrary to the earlier pronouncement of the national chairman.

“We further request that a new date be fixed for the conduct of wards and state congresses, as time is of essence in this matter.

“We call on the national chairman and national leadership of APC to call off any purported congress tomorrow (today) Monday, 14th May, 2018 or any other day until all issues relating to ward congresses in Imo state are resolved.”

Meantime, the APC, weekend, accused the Imo State government of allegedly burning down its secretariat in the state.

The party also asked the state House of Assembly to stop the impeachment process against the state Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, just as it expressed “astonishment,” over the usurpation of its power by Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Acho Ihim, whom it accused of unilaterally removing the Majority Leader of the House, Dr. Uche Oguike, without reference to it, pointing out that such responsibility was “the prerogative of the party.”

The state chairman of the party, Dr. Hillary Eke made these known in two separate statements in Owerri, the Imo State capital, weekend.

“On Friday, the 5th of May, hoodlums led by some government functionaries attacked the party office, destroying everything in the state chairman’s office and carted away documents and other valuables.

“Subsequently, on Friday, 11th May, fire from strange sources engulfed the state party office in broad daylight.

“However, the national chairman of our party has advised that the Local Government Congress be shifted till Monday, May 14, 2018,” Eke stated.

On the on-going moves by the state assembly to impeach the Deputy Governor, Eke hinted that the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon Ihim might face suspension from the party and subsequent removal as Speaker over his alleged unilateral and illegal removal of the Majority leader, Uche Oguike, to pave the way for the proposed impeachment exercise. He also frowned at the alleged impeachment plot against the Deputy Governor, Prince Madumere by some members of House of Assembly, describing “the mission as ungodly.”

His words: “The attention of the state executive (of APC) has been drawn to the news making the rounds that Imo State House of Assembly intends to initiate an impeachment process against the Deputy Governor of the state, His Excellency, Prince Eze Madumere.

“We wish to advise anyone involved in this ungodly mission to desist as such news is not healthy as this point in time the party is making concerted efforts to unite.

Eke further declared that the purported removal of Dr. Oguike as Majority leader of the House, was not only unconstitutional but an aberration to the rule of law.

He then announced the indefinite suspension of two party chieftains in the state- Chief Charles Amadi and Okenze Sylvester Obinna over their alleged anti-party activities.

He said that the two suspended party leaders failed to honour invitations from the party’s disciplinary committee to defend themselves over accusations of anti-party activities.

Reacting, Governor Okorocha, through a release by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, said: “With the arrest and parade of some of those who got shares of the stolen sensitive materials meant for the conduct of the ward congresses of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Imo on Saturday, May 5, 2018 and their subsequent confessions, Governor Rochas Okorocha and APC members in the state have been vindicated.

“The governor also said recently that some strange characters from the PDP have brought all the bad habits they acquired into the APC and the APC is now behaving like the PDP. With the names already mentioned by those arrested, the governor has also been vindicated in that regard.”

Speaking on the development, the lawmaker representing Imo West Senatorial District, Sen Hope Uzodinma has dismissed reports that one of his aides was arrested with result sheets in Abuja, saying he has no aides on electoral matters.

The Police had on Saturday, paraded four persons including one Mr. Innocent Ipanesie, who was identified as an aide to Sen Uzodinma for allegedly being in possession of result sheets of last week’s ward congresses in Imo State.

Sen Uzodinma in a statement yesterday, denied having any aide bearing such name, adding that the names of senators’ aides are well documented with the National Assembly.

The statement read: “For the avoidance of doubt, Sen Hope Uzodinma has no aide on electoral matters or any aide bearing the name, Engr. Ipanesie Innocent. All the senators’ aides are well documented with the National Assembly and there is no aide bearing that name nor is there any position for electoral matters.”