There seems to be no end in sight with the leadership impasse currently shattering the Imo State chapter of the people’s Democratic Party, PDP, as a youth summit which was being organized by one of the warring factions and that was ought to had taken place today has been inexplicably called off.
The chief Vitalis Okafor led faction of the PDP in the South Eastern state had scheduled what it tagged a mini youth summit at the state party secretariat in Owerri, the state capital, which was billed for Thursday, but later called off the program through a press release which was signed by Chief Isaac Onyema, alleging security risk.
It was gathered that the reason for calling off the summit was not unconnected to the brewing war between the chief Okafor and chief Nnamdi Anyaehie factions over who controls the soul of the party ahead of its congresses in the state later this month.
This medium learnt that the youth summit was canceled because the opposing faction was spurring for a showdown during the program. In the interest of peace, security heads in the state had to advise the organizers to postpone the program, so that hot nerves would be cooled.
It could be recalled that the two factions had clashed at the party secretariat on a number of occasions since the Genesis of the current crisis, where weapons of destruction were reportedly freely used between themselves. While the Okafor group is saying that it is the authentic leadership of the party in the state, having got the nod of National working committee of the party to operate, the rival group claims that its mandate exists till after the party congresses in the state. The intra political war has become a matter of litigation, even as the police had on a number of occasions sealed up the party Secretariat because of fighting and other activities that were tantamount to breaching of public peace and other.
While the Okafor led caretaker committee is said to have the blessings of the immediate past deputy speaker of the house of Representatives, Abuja, Chief Emeka Ihedioha ahead of the 2019 governorship primary election of the party, a serving senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodhope Uzodinma who is reportedly interested in the governorship election in the next political dispensation is believed to be supporting the chief Anyaehie led faction.
Okeomanews
