Efforts of Governor Hope Uzodinma to reunite all members of All Progressives Congress (APC) under one umbrella had a big boost yesterday when all former commissioners and political appointees of the former governor Rochas Okorocha administration, including former House of Assembly members, declared their loyalty to the party under the governor’s leadership.

The move is seen by political observers as a deadly blow to the remnants of former governor Okorocha’s Action Alliance (AA) returnees to APC, who have been parading one Dan Nwafor, as the state chairman of the party.

The leaders, who served as commissioners, special advisers and aides under former governor, Okorocha declared Uzodinma as the indisputable leader of the party in Imo and Marcelinus Nlemigbo as the state chairman

Led by a former commissioner and erstwhile majority leader of the state Assembly, Jones Uzoka, the delegation included former state legislators who also served during Okorocha administration.

They told the governor that they visited him with the assurance that they won’t tolerate any kind of fictionalisation of the party in the state.

They commended the governor for his genuine efforts to reunite the party and for his sterling performance as governor in such a short time, especially in area of infrastructure and strengthening the institutions of governance.

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Responding, Uzodinma expressed appreciation to the leaders for their wise decision to work under a strong and united party under his leadership.

According to him, the leaders owed it as a duty to themselves, the party and the state to support and strengthen the APC under the chairmanship of Nlemigbo.

He regretted that the ambition and greed of some leaders in the past had tended to threaten the unity and cohesion of the party in the state.

“The problem the APC had in the state was one man’s unbridled greed to hijack all the top offices for himself and his relations, which almost destroyed the party in the state,” he said.

But Uzodinma was happy that the ‘dark days’ were over as the party was being returned to a strong, united and cohesive one where the interest of all members would be respected and protected.