-Says party to conduct primaries soon
There are indications that the crises rocking the All Progressive Congress, APC in Imo State is not likely to end soon as the chairman of former governor Rochas Okorocha’s faction of the party, Daniel Nwafor is still laying claim to the leadership of the party and that the party is firmly intact under his watch,stressing that he and members of his executive are planning to conduct primaries in line with the amended electoral Act which has given political parties June 3, 2022 as deadline for the conduct of primary elections.
Daniel Nwafor in a chat with this reporter yesterday, posited that by the order of the Supreme court insisting that national leadership of the party should respect a subsisting judgment of the court in his favour pending the determination of the case before Supreme Court, they are at liberty to carry out party’s functions hence those parading themselves as members of a parallel exco are deceiving themselves.
He said, “the issue of the leadership of APC in Imo state presently is already a settled matter by virtue of the Supreme court Order. On that note, we are planning to conduct free, fair and transparent primaries in no distant time.”
When asked if he is aware that Dr Macdonald Ebere who was recently inaugurated as chairman of the APC in Imo state is also planning with his executive to conduct separate primaries, he said, “I am not aware of what they are doing. I am only concerned about the plans, goals and objectives of the Imo APC executive under my watch.”
It would be recalled that Dr Macdonald Ebere PhD, chairman of the Governor Uzodinma faction of the party was on Monday March 7, 2022 inaugurated as chairman of the APC in Imo while the Supreme Court on Monday, March 14, 2022, fixed judgment in the matter for May 27, barely on week to the June 3, deadline that INEC gave political parties for the completion of primaries. .
A five-man panel of justices of the apex court led by Justice Kayode Ariwola had adjourned to determine the merit or otherwise of a suit that is seeking to set aside the judgment of the Abuja Division of the court of appeal which won the national leadership of the party under Adams Nwafor Led executive in Imo.
The apex court okayed the appeal for judgment after all the parties adopted their final briefs of argument.
The APC had through its lawyer, Robert Emukpoeruo, SAN, urged the court to allow the appeal marked SC/CV/884/2020, and contended that the appellate court erred in law when it faulted Nwafor’s removal.
