Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Imo State Commissioners have called for the rescheduling of the botched All Progressive Congress (APC) ward congress election originally slated for Saturday, May 5.
This was contained in a six paragraph communique issued by the Commissioners after a careful deliberation on the matter in Owerri on Monday.
According to the resolution by the Commissioners, no congress was held in any part of the southeastern state, even as they ensured an effective mobilisation and preparation for a successful congress with relevant local party officials.
According to the Commissioner for Public Transportation, Lasbery Ayanwun, who read the communique on behalf of his colleagues, he noted that members of the party from various wards of their Local Government Areas turned up in their numbers at various designated centres for the election, but were disappointed after waiting.
He stated that their greatest shock was the absence of the APC Congress Committee and sensitive materials for the conduct of the election.
Ayanwun noted further that, from interviews granted to journalists by the National Organising Secretary of the party, Osita Izunaso and the State party chairman, Hilary Ekeh, it was confirmed that the sensitive materials and result sheets were not provided.
The Commissioners in their communique also requested that activities of Izunaso and the State chairman of the party, Ekey, leading to the botch of the ward congress election, be investigated.
“In view of their contradictory statements on the botched congress, we state that we we have lost confidence in their ability to conduct or supervise any future free and fair congress and therefore demand for their resignation in office,” the State concluded.
Similarly, some ward chairmen of the party have dismissed the the claim that elections were held in their wards.
According to the zonal chairman of Owerri zone APC, Chris Ojuoma, who addressed journalists Monday after a meeting of stakeholders of the party said: “elections never held in the 104 wards we have in the zone. We waited till 7 p.m. and [there were] no materials or officials.”