Ohakim Squares With Opposition In Imo

Source: EMMA UCHE - thewillnigeria.com
PHOTO: IMO STATE GOVERNOR, MR IKEDI OHAKIM.
PHOTO: IMO STATE GOVERNOR, MR IKEDI OHAKIM.


ABUJA, AUGUST 24, (THEWILL) - Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State has intensified his battle with his political foes in the Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as he boasted last weekend that he would soon regain the party structure, which is hitherto in the control of his opponents.


The governor was said to have assured his supporters at an event in Ihite Uboma, during a reception held in honour of the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Maurice Iwu, that he would in no time take control of the Imo State Executive of the PDP.


He was further quoted as saying that the party’s national leadership has no choice, but to hand over the structure of the party to him, despite the strong opposition from a former Governor of the State, Chief Achike Udenwa and Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, who contested the governorship with him in 2007.


Reports from the occasion further disclosed that Governor Ohakim assured that as governor, he would decide who gets what in the party in the state, insisting also that the controversial local council elections conducted in defiance of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party last August 7, would stand.


It could be recalled that the NWC had through a letter of July 26, 2010 directed him not to go ahead with the planned election at that time due to subsisting court orders that bared the party from conducting elections without first organizing primaries conducted by the existing party structures.


In the same vein the NWC had while setting up a caretaker committee in the state directed that the Imo Democratic Alliance (IDA) led by Chief Udenwa and Senator Ararume produce the Chairman, while Ohakim was awarded the privilege to nominate the Deputy Chairman.


Apparently, not satisfied with the deal, the governor went ahead to conduct the local government elections without recourse to the NWC stance.


Before now, the contending political blocks in the state had tried to reach a ceasefire, but at certain points the agreements reached were often jettisoned.