… Insist SSG gives counter directive

… Govt. pays salaries to only retained ones.

Three months after the dissolution of the cabinet of the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, some of the appointees affected are yet to understand that they have been relieved of their jobs as they still hold firm to their duties before their dissolution.

Governor Hope Uzodinma had three months ago dissolved the cabinet members as well as majority of the Senior Special Assistants and Special Assistants. 

Investigation carried out by the Weekend Lead revealed that majority of the affected persons are of the opinion that the Secretary to the State Government, Cosmos Iwu allegedly gave a counter directive that they should continue working on the grounds that they would be re-appointed.

This paper authoritatively gathered that the State Government has paid the salaries as well as other entitlements of the only appointees which the Government retained upon dissolution since the said three months.

Imo people have not stopped to query the rationale behind how appointees dissolved by the Government that hired them should be signing press releases as well as performing other duties of the Government when they are yet to be re-appointed.

Speaking with the Lead, one of the APC chieftains in Imo who would not want his name in print appealed with the State Government to once again publish or announce the names of his retained appointees so that Imo people would be able to ascertain who to work or meet for a particular assignment and who not to meet.

This confusion is more amongst the Senior Special Assistants and Special Assistants to the Governor hence I plead for government’s clarification, he said.

Meanwhile, every effort made to reach the Secretary to the State Government, Cosmos Iwu to ascertain whether or not a counter directive was given by the Government to the dissolved appointees to continue with their assigned duties proved abortive as the SSG did not pick his calls at the time of filing this report.

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Ahead of the 2023 general elections and call for the people of the South East extraction to produce the next President of Nigeria, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State who doubled as member of APC High Powered Contact Strategy Committee and Mass Mobilization Sub Committee, Deacon Ideato C. Ideato Okoli has stated it categorically that the only thing that will guarantee the region the opportunity to produce the next president under the platform of the party  was to speak with one voice and have what he termed “proper reconciliation” or have themselves to blame.

Speaking with newsmen in Owerri the Imo State capital, the Ideato North Local Government Area born leader in clear terms posited that for the party to move forward not only in Imo State but South East in general, the likes of His Excellency, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, Gov. Dave Umuahi, Sen. Rochas Okorocha, Sen. Chris Ngige, Sen. Ifeanyi Ararume and host of others must close ranks and join forces together with the sole aim of producing the next president of Nigeria of Igbo extraction.

He made it clear that all the leaders of the party in the South East have roles to play to ensure the desire became fruition.

He upheld the fact that they all have divers interests but can be channeled to be in one accord through dialogue while calling on those concerned to make haste while the sun shines and save the entire Igbo race the trap that is being set by their enemies by causing problems amongst them with unreliable promises.

The importance of closing ranks for the overall interest of Igbo extraction cannot be over emphasized with expression of confidence that anything can be negotiated and bringing peace back to the party could be made possible if all concerned have the interest of the Igbo race at heart.

Deacon Ideato C Ideato buttressed the fact that the structure of any party naturally belongs to the governor of the state and queried why the former Governor Rochas Okorocha should be fighting the current Governor Hope Uzodinma over the leadership of the party in the state.

 He advised Sen. Okorocha to play by the rules and submit self to party leadership as there cannot be two captains at the same time in a sheep. Gov. Hope Uzodinma has the ultimate right to control the structure of the APC in the state and our duty as party members was to support him to succeed.

Harping on the need for every APC member in the state to join in the ongoing registration and revalidation exercise, Ideato C Ideato made it clear that no one is bigger than the party’s constitution and anyone who fails to revalidate, automatically exited the party and should not blame anyone for his or her ordeal.

“Registration qualifys anyone to be a member of a group and when you fail to do so, you cannot claim to be a member of such group”, he added.

 He further advised both former Governor Rochas Okorocha and his supporters to go and revalidate their members with the APC adding that they should not blame anyone if they fail to do so within the grace period given to them by the national leadership of the party.

“The essence of extending the exercise was to underscore the importance attached to it by the party and every right thinking party man and woman should make judicious use of the opportunity offered by the party leadership.

Once you are not revalidated, you have no basses for argument in the party”

Read Also; Reconciliation: Imo APC describes Rochas Okorocha as stumbling block

… Says demands too fuch For party.

Imo State Chapter of the APC led by Nlemigbo as the caretaker has accused former Governor of Imo State and Senator representing Imo West in the Senate, Senator Rochas Okorocha of being a stumbling block towards the realization of peace and reconciliation in the Imo State chapter of the APC.

Nlemigbo who disclosed this to Journalists in Owerri last Friday disclosed that emissaries which included text messages had been sent to the former Governor for the purpose of peace in the party adding that none of the said messages was able to achieve any result following the too much demands the former Governor has for their to be a reconciliation in Imo APC.

According to Nlemigbo, Okorocha as at the time of this report was demanding that Dan Nwafor remain the State Chairman of the APC and he himself remain the leader of the Party in Imo, a demand which according to him cannot be met by the party.

Nlemigbo who used the medium to call on Okorocha to make use of the APC revalidation extention to revalidate his membership of the party described as mission impossible for Okorocha to think of being the leader of the Party in the State where the Governor is an APC member as well as Dan Nwafor replacing him as the State Chairman of the Party.

Imo State chapter of the APC has been in leadership crisis over who controls the sole of the party in Imo.

While Okorocha and his supporters insist on the Chairmanship of Dan Nwafor as the elected Chairman whose tenure is yet to elapse, the Uzodinma led Government insists on Nlemigbo as the caretaker Chairman as directed and appointed by the national Leadership of the APC. The said leadership crisis was the major reason why Okorocha, Araraume Supporters did not take part in the last APC membership revalidation exercise given that the said exercise was handled

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