Imo APC crisis: Okorocha boycotts first stakeholders’ meeting
…As Ararume, Uwajiumogu, Izunaso Stage Walk Out
By Justice Nwafor
The political tension and crisis in Imo state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, took another shape as the state Governor and leader of the party in the state, Rochas Okorocha stayed away from the first stakeholders’ meeting of the party.
Also, some of the stakeholders who attended the meeting staged a walk out before it could go halfway and refused to speak to journalists on why they walked out of the all-important meeting.
According to sources which confided in CRISPNG reporter, the governor refused to attend the meeting due to the choice of venue for the meeting. The sources revealed that governor Okorocha wanted the meeting to be held at the Imo State government house, while the stakeholders of the party preferred a neutral venue and chose the New Concorde Hotel, Owerri.
The stakeholders who attended the meeting apart from the APC national organising secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, senators Benjamin Uwajumogu, and Ifeanyi Araraume, who later walked out of the meeting, include: Okorocha’s deputy governor Eze Madumere, and the state chairman, Hillary Ek, who presided over the meeting.
Others are: the chairman of TETFUND, Emeka Nwajiuba; chairman of Nigeria Insurance Trustfund, Jasper Azuatalam; former secretary to the state government, Jude Ejiogu; Okorocha’s son in-law, Uche Nwosu, and others.
According to the state publicity secretary of the party, Nwabueze Oguchienti, who addressed newsmen, after the two-and-half-hour meeting, the stakeholders addressed issues of internal democracy, the proposed local government election in June, and the party primary elections later in the year
“The meeting reached resolutions on internal democracy, discipline, peace and unity of the party. We want to position our party ahead of party primary,” Oguchienti said.
Senators Izunaso, Araraume and Uwajiumogu refused to talk to journalists but the deputy governor told newsmen that “this is the first SEC meeting of the party. We urge our members to go on intensive mobilisation drive.”
The deputy chief of staff to the governor, Kingsley Uju, however, debunked insinuations that Okorocha boycotted the meeting, stating that the governor was out of the country.
He also said those who stormed out of the meeting did not mean well for the party in the state.
