APC Primary: Isiala Mbano engulfs in crisis over Okorocha’s support to Mrs Joy Mbawuike

 www.odogwublog.com reports that some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in Isiala Mbano council area of Imo State are aggrieved over Governor Rochas Okorocha recent decision to select and endorse Mrs. Joy Mbawuike as the sole aspirant for the party's council area House of Assembly in the forthcoming political dispensation.

The bickering, wrangling and frustration are so intense that some of the youths and women in collaboration with the party's leaders and chieftains are planning a peaceful protest this Tuesday at Government House, State police Command, selected media houses and the party's state Secretariat, Owerri alleging that the Governor's action amount to "undemocratic imposition" and geared towards killing the party in the state and even beyond.

It will be recalled that last Friday Governor Okorocha who just came back from China on official visit invited all the party's aspirants including Governorship, State Assembly and National Assemblies in the forthcoming political dispensation as well as all the party's leaders from various local government areas for a crucial meeting in the Government House, Owerri.

The Governor who presided over the well attended meeting with his wife Nneoma Nkechi Rochas Okorocha and other members of the state EXCO said that the essence of the meeting is to harmonized the peoples aspiration so as to ensure peace, unity and stability within the party as well as to ensure that aspirants will not spend too much money on delegates during the primaries.

Thus in that meeting that lasted for hours he solely handpicked an aspirant among the litany of aspirants for a position as the state government endorsed aspirant asking others to step down for other future political opportunities.

However, the case of Isiala Mbano House of Assembly aspiration seemed politically funny as the party leaders, chieftains and faithful had earlier harmonized and brought one Prince Iyke Ohanwe as their solely endorsed aspirant for the position considering his antecedents, pedigree and the area zoning arrangement. It’s important to note that there are other local government areas in the state that their stakeholders also streamlined their aspirants.

When it was the turn of Isiala Mbano as the Governor was calling local government by local government in an alphabetical order under the House of Assembly Prince Ohanwe happily stood up and he was thunderously cheered as there was no opposition nor challenger ,but the Governor vehemently Objected and asked Mrs Mbawuike who is his Commissioner For Markets and Isiala Mbano Chairperson, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu campaign organization why is she not running?

Mrs Mbawuike publicly told the Governor that she is satisfied with her positions in Government and above all she is not emotionally disposed to run for any election now.

The Governor tried to persuade her to run but she bluntly refused , probably as she was part of Prince Ohanwe's aspiration rectification but the story changed as the Governor asked for permission to go for few minutes break in which he and his wife invited Mrs Mbawuike to accompany them and immediately after the break and probably they struck a deal the entire story changed as she happily accepted to run amidst murmuring and objections thus the Governor asked Prince Ohanwe to step down and enjoined the audience to stop making noise because he is conscious of what he is doing.

Since the Governor's decision the party in Isiala Mbano is boiling with acrimony and if not urgently addressed it could led to break down of peace and order just as some of them have vowed to dump the party before the primaries.

Chief Levin Nwosu one of the party's apex leader in the area told News men that the people are aggrieved because the Governor and the leaders of the party in the state had earlier informed them that no aspirant will head any campaign organization and now he has violated it in Isiala Mbano just to a peace his self interest.

Nwosu advised Governor Okorocha in the overall interest of the party to rescind his decision noting his  action as unpopular.

By Everest Ezihe