The all Progressives Congress, APC, stakeholders in Imo State are holding discussions with the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democrstic Party, PDP, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, with the aim of supporting the party if Senator Hope Uzodinma fails to clinche the governorship ticket of the party for 2019.
Party sources told Vanguard in Owerri that the stakeholders were united in their resolution that all Imo people must unite to defeat Rochas Okorocha and his in-law dynasty.
However, in the event of Uzodinma being chosen as the flag bearer of the party, he would still run with the current Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, as his deputy.
Already, all the party leaders are in Abuja, as the two controversial primaries ordered by the national leadership of the party had failed to produce an acceptable candidate for both the Okorocha and Madumere factions.
Some aggrieved members of APC had dragged the party’s national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiohmole and others to court over the second primary which produced Okorocha’s son in-law, Uche Nwosu as the flag bearer.
The plaintiffs, Macdonald Ogu, Egejuru Tochukwu and Ejike Anosike, in suit number HOW/746/2018 asked the court to hold that Hope Uzodinma was the legally elected governorship candidate of the party, adding that the APC had no legal right to conduct a fresh primary, which produced Uche Nwosu.
Those joined as respondents in the suit included the APC chairman of the Primary Election Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak and other members of the committee. They also included Prince Madumere, Senator Hope Uzodinma, Sir Jude Ejiogu, Commodore Peter Gbujie, Sir George Eche, Hon. Uche Nwosu, Chris Nlemoha, Dr. Hilary Eke, Dan Nwafor and Chuks Ololo.
The plaintiffs also sought the following reliefs:
“A declaration that the result of the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Imo State Chapter, dated 2nd October 2018, which declared Senator Hope Uzodinma as the authentic and rightful winner of the Imo State Governorship primary election 2018, is authentic and same duly signed by the APC Imo Governorship Primaries ad hoc Committee Chairman (3rd defendant), whose committee conducted the primaries.
“A declaration by the honourable court that the purported television announcement and dissolution of the Ahmed Gulak led committee, which conducted the Imo State APC governorship primaries 2018, by the second defendant (Comrade Adams Oshiomole) in his capacity as the party’s national chairman on behalf of the National Executive Committee is illegal, undemocratic and same violates the constitution of APC.”
The plaintiffs therefore prayed for “a definite order of the court, directing the Comrade Adams Oshiomole led National Executive Committee and all other relevant authorities of the APC, to accept and recognise the Ahmed Gulak result dated 2nd October 2018 and same declared and correct result of the Imo State APC governorship primaries for Imo State 2018.”
They equally prayed the court for; “an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the first and second defendants (APC and its National Chairman) from re-constituting another committee and or taking any step or further step, including the dissolution of the Ahmed Gulak committee, which will jeopardize the already concluded governorship primary of the APC in Imo State won by Senator Hope Uzodinma.”
The seven governorship aspirants led by Prince Eze Madumere and Hope Uzodinma, including Governor Okorocha’s brother-in-law, Engr. Chuks Ololo boycotted the purported Okorocha arranged primary election.
Madumere had earlier raised alarm over alleged allotment of votes to all the aspirants who boycotted the purported primary election.
Madumere hinged his position on what he called “serious issues that bordered on litigation and lack of direction from the party leadership,” even as he described the purported exercise as “a misnomer and suspicious in any electioneering process.”
