Major political parties in Imo State are battling internal crises, with uncertainties as November 11 governorship election draws nearer.

Part of the hurdles appearing in the way of political parties and candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC); the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party (LP) in the November 11 governorship election in Imo State, include the insecurity ravaging the state, crisis within the parties, as well as challenges surrounding political campaigns.

So far, all the political parties interested in the election have concluded their primaries and have continued to advance their engagements to deepen their acceptance and shore up their support base.

While all eyes are on the election to achieve transparency and deepen democratic tenets, the aforementioned issues among others, appear to be unsettling the parties and digging deep holes on their chances and participation in the election.

Last week, LP raised serious doubts over the sanctity of the election following rising insecurity in the state. National Vice Chairman of the party in the southeast, Chief Innocent Okeke, who expressed worries that insecurity had dislocated several residents, stated that unless something drastic was done to build confidence, many residents would not participate in the exercise.

He specifically cited some local governments in the state such as Oru East, Oru West, Oguta, Orlu, Okigwe, Orsu and Njaba, saying that they have become “ghost towns” following incessant attacks created by state and non-state actors. He explained that the insecurity would go a long way to chart the path of the election.

Okeke, who insisted that the insecurity may be utilised to the advantage of the party in power in the state, requested a deliberate action to solve the issue before the election.

Credence was lent to his position when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state raised similar sentiments, alleging that, “half of Imo territory is under the occupation of bandits and kidnappers among other state actors who levy death upon the people”. PDP added that most farmers have abandoned their farmlands, explaining that the development was increasing poverty, starvation and crimes in the state.

It was apparently against these worries that a two-day stakeholders meeting that was held in the state recently advised the residents to embrace and encourage efforts that would guarantee credible and peaceful conduct of the November 11 election in the state.

The meeting organised by the Kukah Centre in partnership with Imo State Independent State-based Peace Architecture (ISPA) had canvassed active participation in the election and advised citizens to eschew sentiment and resist attempt that would jeopardise efforts for continued peace and unity of the state, as well as ensure that credible leaders govern the state.

But while it is acceptable that insecurity ravages the southeast states and that Imo state is not insulated from it, perhaps, LP is also bored by the governorship primary that has enthroned two persons for the sole ticket of the party. Former Senator Athan Achonu and Chief Joseph Ikechukwu Ukaegbu are locked in contention over the governorship ticket of the party.

Achonu, who represented Imo North Senatorial District, had emerged from the April 15 governorship primary conducted by Abia governor, Alex Otti, after beating the likes of Lincoln Ogunewe,Martin Agbaso,Basil Maduka, Ibe Ike, Sam Amadi, David Mbamara, Kelechi Nwagwu, Charles Agomuo and Ndidi Anike.

A day after his emergence, a faction of the party held another primary superintended by Mohammed Alkali where Chief Joseph Ukaegbu emerged. His emergence however, did not deter the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to continue to relate with Achonu, on the ground that his (Achonu) emergence followed due process.

Ukaegbu was said to have gone to court. Last week, his petition in court made headlines and threw more confusion in the party following a ruling by the federal high court sitting in Bayelsa State that allegedly held that he is the authentic governorship candidate of the party. The ruling was said to have invalidated Achonu’s election.

The Court was said to be responding to similar cases filed by contestants from Bayelsa and Kogi states in the primaries conducted by the national leadership of Julius Abure while he was on suspension from office. The Judge was reportedly said to have faulted and nullified the primaries he conducted while upholding that of the LamidiApapa-led faction of the party.

While Ukaegbu had gone to town with the claim of being the “authentic” governorship candidate of the party, his supporters had threatened Achonu with jail terms should he continue to campaign anywhere in the state.

But the Abure-led national executive in his response to the alleged ruling warned members of the public to be wary of the activities of those he described as “political and judicial pranksters.”

A statement by the Acting National Publicity Secretary, ObioraIfoh likened the judgment to what transpired in Kano State where they procured against the LP and Abia State then governor-elect, Alex Otti, adding that the group has not relented on their evil mission hence the purported judgment.

“The judgment did not give any order to INEC or any other institution, affects the candidacy of Senator AthanAchonu; mention Senator AthanAchonu as he was not even a party in the matter, affirm Ukaegbu as the candidate or change any status quo already existing before the judgment.

“In law when a court says it has no jurisdiction and dismisses a matter as this one has been, it means the matter is dead in the water”, Ifoh stated. It also dismissed threats against Achonu’s campaigns in the state

While the LP battles with her internal issues, the political quagmire in the PDP in the state has continued to increase since the National Secretary of the party, Samuel Anyanwu clinched the governorship ticket of the party to contest in the election.

The squabbles in the party got to its head in the morning of June 18, when seven members of the state working committee announced their resignation from their positions, as well as withdrawal of their membership from the party, accusing Anyanwu of not working in the interest of the party in the state.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s secretariat in Owerri, the state capital, Collins Opurozor, who until then the state Publicity Secretary of party stated that the candidate of the party for the November 11 governorship election in the state, Samuel Anyanwu, did not have what it takes to govern the state.

He said himself, the secretary of party Ray Emeana, the youth leader, Greg Nwadike; the deputy state chairman, Martin Ejiogu; the woman leader, Maria Mbakwe;Treasurer, Josiah Eze; andVice Chairman, Orlu Zone, Chibuisi Obidohave resigned from their positions and equally dumped the party.

Opurozor had said during the press conference attended by all those that resigned: “Since 2020 when this Working Committee took over the administrative cockpit of the PDP in Imo State, we have evolved a tradition of being upfront with you as members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm about all issues that trouble our dear state. We have, through such interactions, inspired faith in a better Imo realised through good governance and democratic norms.

“It is necessary we remind you that in the last three years, this Working Committee has built a very strong, formidable and enviable PDP in Imo State. To enable the party to realise its promise of being a truly democratic entity, we envisioned the need to expand the internal democratic space by forming nearly five thousand chapters across all the polling units in the state. We took the party to the people, and that made us the darling of Imo people. We accomplished this task despite our lean resources as an opposition. No other political party has attained this feat in Nigeria.

“More so, we institutionalised the culture of accountability in party administration, and demonstrated a readiness to govern and reform Imo.

“But, since Senator Anyanwu became the National Secretary of the party, he has never relented in deploying the powers of his office to fight members of this Working Committee and intimidate even ordinary members of the party. Endless strife, mindless wars and erosion of all democratic values and principles have now defined and defiled Imo PDP”, he said.

These members have since joined APC, even as they stated that the floodgate of decampment had been opened and would soon “get to a stage where only Senator Anyanwu will be left with the PDP in Imo State.”

Anyanwu has however remained upbeat, insisting that their exit was part of the ploy to undermine the party in the state and plunge it into crisis to pave way for the APC. He has insisted that there was no going back on recovering the state for the PDP using the coming election.

PDP returned to power in the state using the 2019 general elections with the election of EmekaIhedioha; but the pronouncement of the Supreme Court a year after rubbed it of the opportunity with the incumbent governor, Hope Uzodimma of the APC as the beneficiary.

Ihedioha is considered a strong force in the party. As of the moment, it is still unclear the role he is playing, especially with the defeat of AtikuAbubakar in the presidential election of the country.

Nonetheless, even with their power of incumbency and allegation that it is poised to reap from the festering insecurity, all seems not to be well with the APC. Part of the challenge the party and its candidate, Uzodimma are faced in the election is the near loss of confidence by the people, which was blamed for insecurity and poor performance in the state.

Our Correspondent gathered that following the ravaging insecurity in the state with the attendant implication on the economy, living conditions are becoming unbearable for the people, thereby raising so much opposition to the re-election of the governor as many believe that if re-elected as governor would further emasculate the state. They have blamed the administration for the many killings, destruction and violence in the state, attributing it to part of effort to subdue opposition and opponents.

Sources stated that the party had capitalised on the insecurity to win all the seats in the state Assembly during the 2023 general elections. The development, it was learnt had however sparked off reactions from contestants from other political parties, who hinged their failure on the fact that their supporters were not allowed to participate in the electoral process due to the activities of armed men on the day of the election and wondered where those elected from APC got their figures.

This is the issue the candidates and their parties have presented at the tribunal in the state and are seeking to overturn the election. However, following an alleged series of threats of attack to the tribunal members by unknown gunmen, the tribunal sitting in the state was relocated to Nasarawa State.

A source stated that the inability of the APC and Uzodimma to stop the relocation of the tribunal was a serious setback in the quest of the party to retain the state in the November election. It added that keeping the tribunal within the arms of the state would have been a serious boost to the affected lawmakers of the party, stressing that at the moment, there were fears of uncertainties over their election.

“What I can add is that the coast is not clear yet for any candidate in the election. The situation of the state is unsettling the APC. The PDP and LP have their various problems. Until some of these issues are resolved, one cannot predict rightly where the pendulum will swing at the end of the day”, the source added. (The Guardian)

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