“Action, disobeys Gov’s instruction”
…Nzekwe: Nominee never took part in ward consensus process.
Leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ward 7, Nkwerre LGA of Imo State have expressed deep concerns over
what they described as deliberate attempt to cause disenchantment among party faithful in the ward through an alleged imposition of one Edward Eburuaja as the councillorship candidate of Ward 7 even when he did not participate in the process for the nomination of a consensus candidate as directed by Imo state Governor,Sen Hope Uzodinma.
Led by a former state deputy chairman of Imo APC and ex-two-time member for Nkwerre state constituency in Imo House of Assembly, Hon Ugochukwu Nzekwe, the visibly dismayed Nkwerre Ward 7 APC leaders who hinted newsmen on the development ,yesterday, lamented the alleged attempt by somebody who is not from Ward 7 to nominate a councillorship candidate on their behalf.
Hon Nzekwe hinted that issues began when a strange name, Osita Mbaeri, appeared as the councillorship candidate for Nkwerre Ward 7. He said on enquiry, it was discovered that the said Mbaeri was not from their ward but from Ideato Area.
The former Deputy State Chairman of APC further stated that when they lodged a complaint, the said name was removed but was surprisingly
replaced with one Edward Eburuaja who, according to him, did not even present himself or participate in the process of the primary for the purpose of nominating a consensus candidate for the ward.
Citing Article 20 of the APC Constitution, Nzekwe hinted that a vote of ‘YES” has to be done in the process of nominating a consensus candidate, insisting that the two other councillorship aspirants for Nkwerre Ward 7 – Onyeka Anowai and Tochukwu Mac-Anaeleh were present except the said Eburuaja. He queried how somebody from another ward allegedly conducted a mock primary in Owerri in the name of nominating a councillorship candidate on behalf of Nkwerre Ward 7 where he does not even belong.
Calling on State Chairman of APC Imo State, Dr McDonald Ebere not allow those he described as moneybags to cause problems in the party, the two-time Lawmaker said whoever engineered the problem in Nkwerre Ward 7, was disobeying the clear instructions of Governor Uzodinma on how consensus
candidates for the scheduled Imo local government elections.
He called on Governor Uzodinma to urgently
intervene in the matter which he said, could cause disaffection among APC
faithful in the area.
Nzekwe reminded those he alleged were dropping the governor’s name in order to stoke problem in his Ward 7, that he remained not only a founding member and stakeholder in APC, but also the deputy state chairman of Imo APC when Senator Uzodinma came on board as governor. He made it clear that his interest was to uphold the integrity of the party especially, at the grassroots.
Speaking also, another leader in Nkwerre Ward 7, Hon Chinenye Maduakolam expressed displeasure that those who just joined the party lately, were now the ones imposing a councillorship candidate on some of them who have long worked for the growth of APC.
He maintained that it was strange and unimaginable that somebody from another ward would allegedly be imposing a councillorship candidate on them.
He pleaded with Governor Uzodinma and the leadership of Imo APC to ensure that “the anomaly” was urgently corrected.
Meanwhile Nkwerre Ward 7 APC leaders called for all the councillorship aspirants including Eburuaja to appear before the leaders of the ward for the purpose of nominating one of them as a consensus candidate in line with Governor Uzodinma’s instruction, as well as that of the party.
Other Nkwerre Ward 7 leaders at the briefing were, former Special Adviser, SA on Food Vendors, Hon Ndubuisi Osunkwo, Acting Ward 7 Chairman, Hon Boniface Ogoke; the ward youth leader, Ikechukwu Agbaegbu;
, ex-Ward 7 chairman, Anunwa Amaechi; Ward 7 woman leader, Josephine Chukwukere, among others.
