By Matthew Don
The All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate for Imo state, Hope Uzodinma has said nobody can expel him from the party, and not even the embattled few who claimed he had been expelled.
He said Daniel Nwafor who claimed he had expelled him cannot speak for the APC in Imo state when Marcel Nlemigbo was appointed the caretaker of the party in the light of internal skirmishes caused by governor Rochas Okorocha.
He therefore asked his supporters to ignore the said report on his expulsion as baseless and false.
Armadanews.com learnt that Okorocha was afraid of Uzodinma and jittery that the senator may cause his eventual political fall after the 2019 poll.
Regardless, the national headquarters of the APC had been intimated about the continued anti-party activities being orchestrated by Okorocha and his estranged supporters with a source at the headquarters saying a statement was in the offing on the purported expulsion.
Meanwhile, Nlemigbo told TheNiche that Uzodinma remains the Imo APC governorship candidate and that those saying he had been expelled were embattled and seeking for attention.
Also, the Imo State APC secretariat issued a statement where the officials took a position on the false report of Uzodinma’s expulsion.
The full statement signed by Enyinna Onuegbu, the APC state publicity secretary on Thursday, January 24 reads:
SENATOR HOPE UZODINMA, IMO STATE APC GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE IS NOT EXPELLED BY THE PARTY
The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Imo State Chapter has been drawn to the false and laughable story (especially via new media) being peddled by one Mr. Daniel Nwafor purporting the expulsion of Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma Governorship Candidate of Our great Party for 2019 elections from the party. This is fake news and should be disregarded intoto.
In addition to the “childishness of this joke taken too far”, it reveals who Mr. Daniel Nwafor is truly working for but definitely not APC as a Party committed to winning elections in Imo State.
It is indubitable that Mr. Nwafor who is presently the Plaintiff in Suit No: FHC/OW/CS/1/2019 between Daniel Nwafor Vs APC and 13 Ors is for all intents and purposes still challenging his removal from office as State Chairman of the Party. Conclusively, until Mr. Daniel Nwafor succeeds in Court, he cannot “act or execute any function as Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Imo State”. The fact of his removal from office is concluded, settled and history.
Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma apart from being the undisputed and popular Governorship Candidate of Our great Party in Imo State is also a member of Our National Caucus, member of Board of Trustees and member of National Executive Committee and by Our Party’s Constitution is above the disciplinary process of a State Party Official. We challenge Daniel Nwafor and his paymasters to produce proceedings of National Executive Council (NEC) or Official engagements of All Progressives Congress (APC) Daniel Nwafor has attended since the dissolution of his executive in December, 2018.
The case of Mr. Daniel Nwafor is a clear instance of the negative consequence of promoting domestic aides to underserved positions in our polity. It is sad that a former State Chairman who could not issue a Statement condemning the illegal and immoral decamping of 22 members of Imo State House of Assembly from the party he hitherto led to an unknown Party. A purported Party Chairman whose entire Executive unceremoniously jumped ship into the ocean of an unknown Party, a purported State Chairman who could neither physically receive the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Airport nor join him in a rally to flag off APC Campaigns for 2019 elections in Imo State, would still have the effrontery to practice the trade of domestic enemy in Imo APC.
We have to say it for the umpteenth time that Daniel Nwafor and his Maters should stop fooling themselves politically. Imo APC has been positively rebranded by the Candidacy of Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma and Imo people are primed to elect “Hope” who truly rescued Imo from an evil tribe of marauders and its minions like Nwafor.
A child of destiny like Senator Hope Uzodinma is a priceless jewel to APC and cannot be expelled.