- Says, they were deceived to attend
The Imo State Coordinator of the Buhari Youth Organization (BYO), Comrade Dr. Emma Anyanwu has distanced himself and the group from what he said was a “kangaroo endorsement of Uche Nwosu”, as a possible candidate of Imo APC, come 2019 governorship election.
Along with the Owerri Zonal Youth Coordinator of Imo Youth Council, and those of Owerri Youth Forum who staged a walk-out during the event which held last Saturday, February 2, 2018, Dr. Emma Anyanwu said, they were deceived into attending the event held at “Titanic View Hotel premises tagged”, “Imo Youths Political Summit 2018” believing that as the name implies, they would be given an opportunity to air their views, as democracy demands.
Unfortunately, the organizers were bent on gagging participants and reluctantly admitted BYO as observer status into the event, when it became obvious that the exercise was hijacked and sponsored to give Uche Nwosu an undue advantage they stormed out of the Titanic View Hotel premises, in protest.
Speaking to the press later, Dr. Emma Anyanwu explained that they transversed and trivialized all political and democratic processes by insisting on imposing their whims and caprices on Imo youths. “They deceived the youths into attending the summit only to betray them by unilaterally taking autocratic decisions without given the youths in attendance, an opportunity to express their opinions”.
According to Dr. Emma Anyanwu who was the pioneer Secretary General of Agenda Youths from inception, an association as prominent as Buhari Youth Organization was merely recognized as an observer and eventually disallowed from making a statement or contribution on the floor at the purported endorsement. “Even an observation which I raised against the decision to shut other youth organizations from expressing their opinions was not considered hence we staged a walk-out on the organizers of the ceremony especially Mr. Jeff Nwoha”, he stated. He then added that the organizers and Uche Nwosu are on their own and have no support of Imo youths in the charade.
Speaking further, Dr. Emma Anyanwu observed that there were imposters among those who claimed to be representing the youth wings of PDP and APGA at the venue of Imo summit whose owner, has allegedly volunteered to bank roll and sponsor Uche Nwosu for the governorship election of 2019, against the resolution of Owerri people to have a shot at the office, after Okorocha. “We object to the arbitrary adoption of a particular youth or the idea of gagging the participants into concurring with supporting one candidate against the other. No democratic process was observed at arriving at a consensus. Instead, Owerri zone should be given the opportunity to produce the next governor in line with the zoning arrangement as prevailing in Imo state, he stated.
In endorsing or promoting any aspirant for governorship of Imo state in 2019, Dr. Emma Anyanwu, of BYO, Anyanwu C. Anyanwu of Owerri Youth Forum and Martin Daniel Ikeh of Rescue Mission, Owerri West LGA chapter, said zoning must be considered. Adding his voice, Ikeh said, “we suspect that money has exchanged hands. The party is the only organ that can endorse a candidate”, while the only role the youth can play is to recommend or suggest who they think is fit, proper and capable.
