IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

By Sixtus Obi, Owerri.

State Chairman and Secretary of PDP in Imo State, Chief Charles Ugwu and Nze Ray Emeana have appointed their biological sons, Chuks Ugwu and Chinemerem Emeana as members of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council in Imo State respectively.

While members and stakeholders of PDP in the state had rejected the list, political analysts have described the duo as individuals working for their selfish interest at the detriment of PDP victory in Imo state.

Both Chucks Ugwu and Chinemerem Emeana are Members of Election Management Committee in the Presidential Campaign Council, some leaders of the party revealed that they were included to be in charge of funds meant for the committee.

Imo PDP can do better.

By Sir Sunny Ndukwu, KSM

The attention of the Divine Mandate Movement has been drawn to a press release trending on social media and purportedly issued by one Collins Opuruzor falsely claiming to be the State Publicity Secretary ( Imo State PDP has no Publicity Secretary at the moment) of the Party and stating that the processes and procedures for composition of the Presidential Campaign Council and Management Committee were complied with.

For the avoidance of doubt, the said Collins Opuruzor  has no authority whatsoever to issue clarification on the status of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Presidential Campaign Council and Management Committee being creation of the National Working Committee on behalf of the Party. 

Consequently, all leaders, stakeholders and teaming supporters of our Party should discountenance the purported press release and await a clarification from the national body of the Party in respect to the subject matter when a new date for the Inauguration of the Campaign Council and Management Committee will be conveyed through the appropriate channel of the Party.

The clarification of our national body through the Presidential Campaign Council when issued will engender the much needed unity and cohesion required in our State for the success of our Party in the 2023 general elections.

- Harmonized List Still Being Awaited 

The last may not be heard of the internal crises rocking Imo PDP as the Director, Strategy and Public Affairs PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Barr Bamidele Oshoba, MFR has come out to trash the list made available to news men by the Emeka Ihedioha faction of Imo PDP.

In a statement released to newsmen, it reads in parts;

"Contrary to speculations in some quarters that certain individuals have been appointed as Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Director General of PDP Presidential Campaign Council for Imo State among others, the list has been described as not only fake and misleading, but an “April fool”.

"While the harmonized list is still being awaited, members of our party in Imo State are enjoined to disregard the purported list and view it as part of desperation to hold onto power.

There is no PCC list approved for Imo State yet, our party is looking for credible individuals with verifiable records of achievements in politics to include in the list. 

Until a harmonized comprehensive list is approved and sent to the party’s State Executive Council (SEC) for ratification and onward transmission to the national for adoption, any other arrangement including parading of fake lost amounts to exercise in futility. 

Therefore, anyone parading himself or herself as Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Director General or Member of our party’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in Imo state for now  should be seen as an impostor.

Such impostors parading themselves as members of the PCC should be avoided as dealing with such characters only posses grave danger to our party, the individual involved, and our Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Soon, harmonized comprehensive list of our party Presidential Campaign Council for Imo State will be made available to the public after ratification and approval by the National body.

Our party members are urged to remain calm and law abiding, as all efforts are on top gear to ratify Imo PCC list and subsequently released to the public.

By Sir Sunny Ndukwu, KSM

--- Say, Ihedioha as a Guber aspirant can't head Atiku's Campaign Council in Imo

The Divine Mandate Movement, DMM, has reacted to trending news report in the media by one Collins Opuruzor claiming to be Imo PDP State Publicity Secretary, where he  confirmed ratification of a purported list of the Campaign Council and Election Management Committee contrary to the adoption of stakeholders and leaders of the party in the state, describing it as a script to relaunch Ihedioha's Governorship Re-election agenda in the state.

The Divine Mandate Movement expresses shock and disappointment over uncivil conduct of the state working committee ably led by Engr Charles Ugwu, the state Chairman of the party for the shamful outing recorded on Sunday at the Imo PDP party secretariat where critical and respected leaders of the party who were not apologists of Emeka Ihedioha were  humiliated and disrespected in a bid to showcase the magic wand as well as project the ambition of one desperate man and politician.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Divine Mandate Movement seizes this opportunity to put the record straight regarding the botched Imo PDP stakeholders meeting. 

"For purposes of clarity, there was no ratification  for the Presidential  Campaign Council list on Sunday at Imo PDP party secretariat as captured in purported report or press release signed by one of Ihedioha's aides, one Collins Opuruzor claiming to be Imo PDP's Publicity Secretary.

The Presidential Campaign Management list has eleven basic Directorates as well as the various organs and structures of the campaign as designed and their functions  are well defined.

Party faithful as well as loyalists of the party who are willing to serve in the directorates available are expected to be captured in the build up of the Campaign formation not for the list to be computed at a private residence of a self acclaimed leader.

Why should an aspirant jostling for party guber ticket impose himself as Chairman of the presidential Campaign Council of the party, this singular act confirms that such aspirant have been favoured by only God knows as the adopted Governorship candidate for the Party ahead of next year's Imo PDP guber primaries. 

To further prove how petty Imo PDP state working committee are, Ihedioha was erroneously addressed on Sunday as Governorship candidate of the party, this goes a long way to prove to us the level Imo SWC operates, no wonder aspirants for the 2023 general election distances themselves from party activities as no one is ready to shoulder any financial burden for one man (Ihedioha) whom they are not sure if he might clinch the party's guber ticket. 

Imo PDP at present has over three Governorship aspirants and the big question is, why should one man keep terrorising the party because of his desperation to govern the state. 

The Divine Mandate Movement seizes this opportunity to draw attention of the National Executive Committee of the party to serial attempt of self induced implosion on the party. Several video footage confirms the unacceptance of Ihedioha's imposition as Chairman of the Campaign Council in the state as he was booed out of the venue where the party's stakeholders held on Sunday.

Finally, we call on the National Executive Committee of our great party, to suspend any list from Imo state regarding the presidential campaign council list while urging them  to initiate a thorough investigation in Imo so as to ascertain the true situation as regards Imo state.

By Chiamaka Ibeh, Abuja.

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has said that any political party in Imo state having dealings with Emeka Ihedioha as regards Governorship come 2023 will face the consequences as they are taking record of those colluding with Malami, Hope Uzodinma, Emeka Ihedioha and others who are joining with the Nigerian Government to continue the illegal detention of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

This is coming on the heels of military invasion of Amangwu Ohafia community in hunt of hoodlums who had allegedly taken control of the area.

"There were allegations that the hoodlums in the community were members of ESN.

The pro-Biafra movement in a press statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, dissociated IPOB from any group operating any camp in the affected areas.

”ESN has no camp at Okigwe in Imo State and Amangwu Ohafia LGA Abia State”, the statement said.

Continuing, the statement said:”Since ESN was formed and up to now, we have never had any camp at Okigwe and Amangwu Ohafia. Any group operating from any camp within Okigwe and Amangwu Ohafia axis are not ESN operative.

“Therefore, let nobody associate IPOB and ESN with the actions and activities of any criminal gangs in any camp at Okigwe and Amangwu Ohafia LGA.

“IPOB leadership knows all the ESN camps and ESN is secure in their various camps and locations within Biafra territories.

”Those relocating from Orsumoghu forest to Okigwe bushes are state sponsored gangs who are part of the insecurity going on in our region.”

It warned those impersonating ESN to retrace their steps or brace up for difficult times.

“Those impersonating IPOB and ESN operatives and committing crimes should stop or be ready to pay a heavy price.

Those criminal gangs who are kidnapping and snatching cars are our enemies who are frustrating Biafra restoration.”

IPOB said that its major concern was how to secure release for its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu; and ultimately restore peace in the South East.

“What we want is peace in Biafra Region and the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu whom the courts and UN working group have ordered for his immediate unconditional release because he has been discharged and acquitted of all charges against him.”

IPOB renewed its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Kanu who it said had been discharged and acquitted of all counts of terrorism charge preferred against him by the Federal Government.

“Nigeria Government should release him without further day because this case will destroy Nigeria the more they continue to detain him.”

IPOB said it had taken note of some Igbo political elite conniving with the Federal Government to keep Kanu in perpetual custody

“We are taking record of those colluding with Malami, Hope Uzodinma, Emeka Ihedioha and others who are joining with the Nigeria Government to continue the illagal detention of our leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU.

“Anybody or party hoping to use Emeka Ihedioha as flag bearer is hitting the rock. We know our enemies and we are going to face them head on.

”Anybody who dinned with Nigeria Government to detain Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will be exposed and nobody will take you as human. 

Meanwhile, Ihedioha is currently in Imo state to perfect his manipulation as the chairman of Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council in the state as according to close source of the Mbutu Mbaise politician disclosed that the Sunday, 13th November Imo PDP stakeholders meeting was convened to formally adopt him as the chairman of the Campaign Council in the state. 

Political pundits in the state had argued why a man nursing for Governorship alongside other Imo PDP guber aspirants will be desperate to head the presidential campaign council. 

Others are of the view that there are several qualified and competent leaders in the party that can head the Campaign Council and not Ihedioha. 

It is gathered that from the purported list sent to the National Executive Committee as members of the Campaign Council List from Imo state, Ihedioha's name was captured as the chairman while his deputy in his short-lived seven months administration, Gerald Irona emerged as deputy chairman, to other critical stakeholders of the party, " such desperation will no longer be tolerated" as the party do not belong to any Individual.

.... As  Ihedioha consults Ngor Okpala PDP leaders

Chioma Ogazi

Owerri_ ousted Imo state governor, Chief Emeka Ihedioha on Friday met with select leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ngor Okpala LGA at the residence of Okenze Ken Agbiriogu in Obiangwu Community. 

The meeting which had in attendance pro Ihedioha's supporters as well as members of Ihedioha Re-election Movement of PDP extraction recorded inflammatory remarks from immediate kinsmen of Greg Egu who verbally insulted Ihedioha for attempting to shortchanged their son, Greg Egu.

Ihedioha had on Wednesday visited select party leaders at the Ngor Okpala residence of Okenze Ken Agbiriogu.

Though he is yet to declare his intention to contest the Imo Governorship election in 2022, but there have been reports and veiled indications that he will contest the exalted seat of power in Imo state.

Our Correspondent who monitored the consultative meeting gathered that Ihedioha's visit was an opportunity to appease the leaders of the party in Ngor Okpala LGA emanating from report of his involvement in the Purported removal of Hon Greg Egu as the Imo state Director of Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council. 

It was learnt that Ihedioha made several efforts to substitute Hon Greg Egu and replace him with one of his loyalists but failed in the process.

According to an impeccable source, ' Ihedioha's visit to the United States of America even though he was not captured in the list of delegation accompanying the presidential candidate for the foreign trip but he took care of his traveling expenses in order for him to actualise his desperate bid to substitute Hon Greg Egu as well as replace him with his choice nominee for the directorate Campaign leadership but met his waterloo when close associates of Atiku Abubakar resisted several attempts by Ihedioha.

Ihedioha who was advised by Atiku's associates to return back home and reconcile with kinsmen of Greg Egu quickly contacted his foot soldiers ( Ihedioha Re-election Movement) to make it look like a solidarity reception in his honor on arrival from his oversea trip.

Also, it was gathered that same Ihedioha in his desperation had instructed the Imo state working committee of PDP to convene a stakeholders meeting where his purported position as Chairman of Imo state PDP Presidential Campaign Council will be ratified and communicated to the National Executive Committee of the party.

Ihedioha while addressing selecting leaders of Ngor Okpala PDP gave reasons why he opposed Greg Egu's appointment as Director, Atiku/Okowa Campaign Council on grounds that Egu's appointment might affect his chances of clinching the party's governorship ticket on grounds that Egu do not support his governorship reelection ambition and pleaded with leaders from the area to appeal to Greg Egu not to hunt him for his political miscalculation adding that his visit was to appease them to assist in reconciling him and Greg Egu. He assured Ngor Okpala leaders that if elected he will retain all political appointees who served in his short-lived seven months administration.