Members of the Imo State Chapter of the Peoples
Democratic Party appear to now wallow in confusion as well as in cold feet
following the delay in the expected hearing of the suit instituted by Philip
Umeadi against the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma which is
pending in the Supreme Court.
Media Houses particularly those in Owerri were awash with reports of the supreme court hearing its pending suit against Uzodinma by Umeadi (SAN) on Monday January 11 but all particularly the members of the PDP got disappointed when the Supreme Court did not sit on the expected date let alone communicating the involved parties on reasons behind not sitting at the said date or taken another date for the said hearing.
Philip Umeadi (SAN) has dragged the Imo State Governor Senator Uzodinma to court seeking interpretation of earlier supreme court judgment where it ruled amongst others that Uche Nwosu ought to be the Governorship candidate of the APC but by virtue of his double nomination both by the APC and the Action Alliance the candidature of the party stripped off him.
Umeadi in the said suit is asking the Supreme Court to interpret the said judgment in relation with Uzodinma who same Supreme Court at last declared the winner of Imo State Governorship election. Upon instituting this matter before the supreme court, the members of the PDP who are the close beneficiaries if the supreme court over turns the Governorship seat of Imo over the questionable and controversial APC candidature of Uzodinma were said to have been hopeful and prayerful waiting upon the Supreme Court which they believe would upturn the Governorship seat of Imo.
Speaking to Monday Lead Express, one of the staunch members of the PDP who would not want his name in print revealed that members of the PDP in Imo have developed cold feet over the delay in hearing of the suit by court adding that they have given up on the matter and have begun to plan on the best method to wrestle power from the APC in 2023.
Supporters of Imo State Governor, Hope
Uzodinma, and his predecessor, Rochas Okorocha, have clashed over an
alleged plan to recall Okorocha as the Senator representing Imo West
District at the National Assembly.
While a group of Uzodinma’s supporters
called the Orlu Political Consecutive Assembly has insisted to continue
with plans to recall Okorocha from the Senate, the Association of Orlu Women
for Good Governance has urged Uzodinma not to spend state resources to
recall the senator.
AOWGG, at a press conference, asked
Uzodinma and Okorocha – who they described as their sons – to stop “disgracing
the people of Orlu zone.”
The association’s President-General, Mrs
Bailia Chibuike, advised Uzodinma to face governance and stop fighting
Okorocha.
She said, “The government of Chief Hope
Uzodinma should face governance and provide the dividends of democracy for Imo
people and leave Okorocha alone.
“The state government should take back
the N1bn reported to have been given to OPOCA (Orlu Political Consecutive
Assembly) for the so-called recall of Okorocha and use the money for other
meaningful things in the state.”
However, OPOCA has insisted on its plans to recall Okorocha, saying the senator “has crossed the red line and has touched the tail of a sleeping tiger.”
The group’s spokesperson, Modestus
Nwamkpa, who is also the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Print
Media, said Okorocha had not represented the district well at the Senate.
Nwamkpa said it was wrong for Okorocha to
have launched a “campaign of calumny” against the governor, who is also from
Orlu zone, where Okorocha represents at the Senate.
Nwamkpa said, “Now, the question is: why
does OPOCA want to recall Okorocha? It is said that ‘he who obstructs the peace
of the beehive should endure the pains of the bees’ stings.’
“Okorocha has actually crossed the red line. He has touched the tail of a
sleeping tiger and the resultant effect is what he is currently facing –
recall.”
Nwamkpa said OPOCA had been at the
forefront of defending the interest of Orlu zone, saying “any Orlu man holding
the position of Imo governorship must be protected at all costs. Orlu’s
interest must come first.”
Okorocha had on February 21 alleged that
Uzodinma attacked him with thugs.
The former governor and three of his
political associates were also arrested by the state police command after
government and security officials stormed the Royal Spring Palm Estate,
Owerri, and unsealed it.
The estate was linked to Okorocha’s wife,
Nkechi.
The state government said its action was in
accordance with a report of a judicial panel set up by a former governor, Emeka
Ihedioha, before he left office.
Meanwhile, youths operating under the
aegis of Imo West Youths for Good Governance have asked Uzodinma to sack his
Special Adviser on Special Duties, Chinasa Nwaneri, and his Senior Special
Assistant on Youth Affairs, Eric Uwakwe, for allegedly leading thugs to attack
Okorocha on February 21.
At a press conference in Owerri, the
state capital, on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, IWYGG,
Prince Wisdom Nwauwa, asked the governor to hand over the two aides to the
police for prosecution.
Nwauwa said that the attack on Okorocha,
who is a serving senator, “was another sad commentary on our democracy.”
Supreme Court of Nigeria has adjourned suit brought
to it by the National leadership of the APC against Daniel Nwafor over the state chairman seat of the party in Imo.
Dan Nwafor had dragged the party in the state to
court challenging the constitution of the caretaker in Imo when his tenure as
the elected chairman of the party is yet to elapse.
The court of Appeal in 2020 gave judgment in favour of Nwafor as the only legal and authentic state chairman of the APC.
The court further ruled that caretaker was not known
by law, hence Nwafor would remain on seat pending the lapse of his tenure which
takes place by July 2022.
Unsatisfied with the said judgment of the court of
Appeal, the APC in a suit number Sc/cv/884/2020, adjourned the matter to
October 2022 for hearing.
However, the implication of this long adjournment
remains that Dan Nwafor by virtue of the Court of Appeal judgment remains the
elected state chairman of the APC in Imo.
Another implication is, before the adjourned date by
the Supreme Court, Nwafor’s tenure must have elapsed.
It would be recalled that the National leadership of the APC had in 2018, appointed Nlemigbo, the
state caretaker committee chairman of
the APC to replace the elected chairman, Dan Nwafor
Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, yesterday, said he had no personal dispute with his predecessor, Senator Rochas Okorocha.
The clash
between the supporters of the governor and his predecessor resulted into to the
death of two persons on Sunday over the sealing of Royal Spring Palm Estate
Hotel, Akachi, by the state government.
The All
Progressive Congress (APC) in the state is tangled in a crisis following
the political differences and feud between Okorocha and Uzodinma.
Speaking
after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, the
governor faulted the claims that he was plotting Okorocha’s assassination.
“I don’t know
about any attempt to assassinate Okorocha, rather what I know, is I have no
personal issues with Okorocha.
“You will
recall that before I became governor, the Ihedioha administration set up a
judicial panel of inquiry to look into acquisitions and allegations of lands,
converting government lands to personal property, and then removing private
lands from individuals and giving them other individuals.
“The judicial panel of inquiry chaired by a judge met and they brought their job to a conclusion. And a white paper has since been raised.
“You know
institutions and agencies that are involved with implementation are doing their
job. And the only thing I know is that a few days ago, the former governor went
with his thugs to one of the properties sealed by government. You people saw
it, it was live.
“He went there with thugs, wounded the policemen there, wounded the NSCDC officer, who is currently still in the hospital and then broke in and entered.
“Of course,
you must have heard him say that he is richer than government and that he is
above the law. I am not directly involved. It is a position taken by
government.
“There is a
difference between governor and government. The government of Imo State sealed
the property. And I think that if there is anything anybody considers not
right, the person should go to court to redress the issue and not take the law
into one’s hand, or take to self-help.
“I remember
that under Ihedioha, there was a recovery committee, chaired by one Jasper
Ndubaku. When they tried to visit Okorocha’s house, they were beaten to a
stupor. And the same man who did that is now doing the same thing and almost
killed the man who did it during his time,” Uzodinma said.
Meanwhile,
Okorocha has debunked the claims that all the 14 persons arrested in connection
with the invasion of Royal Palm Spring Hotel were his aides.
Okorocha, in
a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media), Sam Onwuemeodo, said
only two of the defendants were his aides.
He said 11
others were staff of the hotel, while one was a social media influencer, who
was there to do his job.