… Resorts To Unhealthy Politicking Across Communities
..Alleges Uzodimma’s Backing For Alex Mbata
If the visionary and achievements-driven Chief Executive and Governor of Imo state, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Dr Hope Uzodimma, CON, GSSR fails to look towards Ngor Okpala and bring his political sagacity/wizardry to bear on grassroots governance, the area which is one of the most thickly populated local government areas in Nigeria, his efforts in recent time to ensure speedy and all-round development of the area may hit the rocks.
While Ngor Okpala Indigenes of all walks of life and different political and religious inclinations are happy and appreciative that Hope Uzodimma-led 3-R mantra administration has allowed and encouraged the establishment of institutions that could fast-track meaningful development across Ngor Okpala, it is most annoying and embarrassing to observe that the Ngor Okpala local government under the leadership of Mrs Chika Ibekwe, local government Chairman and Chibuike Macdonald Agbugba, legislative council leader, is busy chasing shadows, meddling into village politics by way of divide-and-rule, instigating quarrels all over the communities, rather than paying attention to real governance.
The simple truth is that since their inauguration as executive chairman and legislative council leader respectively, Mrs Chika Ibekwe (Chairman) and Chibuike Agbugba (legislative leader) have been in the habit of exclusive leadership, even in dealings with leaders and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress. Their attitude is such that some members and leaders of APC in Ngor Okpala have not in any way, been carried along in the scheme of things.
The attitude, utterances, body language and manner of invitation to Ngor Okpala stakeholders meetings under the administration of Chika Ibekwe and council leader Chibuike Agbugba are such that clearly indicate that the APC as a political platform, discriminates against some of its stakeholders. This state of affairs in Ngor Okpala has often resulted in bitterness, acrimony, disaffection and quarrels within the APC and during political ward meetings. Simply put, Chika Ibekwe and council leader Chibuike Agbugba have glaringly demonstrated lack of capacity to grow APC in Ngor Okpala, even in the face of roaring opposition that is deep-rooted in Ngor Okpala. Chika Ibekwe and Chibuike Agbugba’s extremely selfish and myopic disposition is only preparing the ground for huge flight of marginalized and aggrieved APC stakeholders to other political parties, a situation that should not be encouraged at all.
A situation where Chika Ibekwe and Chibuike Agbugba have abandoned their responsibilities and duties in governance and are only functioning as agents of some 2027 political office seekers under the guise that “the Governor has told us where to go and who to work for”, is not only childish but also, undemocratic and retrogressive, to the detriment of the APC.
Meanwhile, as the 2027 National Assembly election draws near, impending exodus of major stakeholders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of Owerri zone extraction to other political parties, over alleged Governor Hope Uzodimma’s adoption of Prince Alex Mbata, the party’s Imo East senatorial candidate for the 2023 National Assembly election would soon, cripple and devastate the giant party in the state.
The revelations by the Ngor Okpala council leader, Chibuike Agbugba that the leader of the great party, APC and highly respected governor of Imo state, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Dr Hope Uzodimma has unilaterally adopted Prince Alex Mbata, a candidate that lost to the Labour Party’s Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi in the 2023 Imo East senatorial contest is truly of great concern to stakeholders within the party as they are clearly, not happy with this development. Some stakeholders responding with a request for anonymity feel that such an early decision would deal a deadly blow to the ruling party because, other potential aspirants within the party would feel pushed away by the party, especially in the face of the massive wave of defections which have happened in recent months in the party in Ngor Okpala.
Continuing, the stakeholders who described the governor and leader of APC in Imo state as a man with good conscience and right-thinking leader further stated, “if pieces of information that emerged from a supposedly reliable source like a Leader of the Council within the ruling party is anything to go by, then, the stakeholders would need to seek the Governor’s face and ask for a U-turn to save our great party. We do not believe that the people’s governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma would adopt a senatorial candidate ahead of 2027 at such an early stage, while all well-meaning stakeholders of the party are presently, busy working to grow and make our great party remain above rhetorics and voices of the opposition in the state. To every sincere and avowed defender of the APC in the state, the alleged adoption of Alex Mbata ahead of 2027 is a bitter pill to swallow.”
The startled Owerri zone APC stakeholders posited that the easiest way to kill the ruling party is for the governor and the state party ExCo to decide at this point in time to favour any aspirants ahead of the 2027 general elections. This would amount to grave undemocratic disposition and could bring a party, no matter how strong, on its knees within a short period of time.
