By Uzoma Akobundu
Monday, February 12 endorsement of Uche Nwosu, Chief of Staff to the Imo State Government by Governor Rochas Okorocha is currently brewing crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Already, various youth groups in Imo have distanced themselves from the purported endorsement, joining other aggrieved APC members to insist there must be free and fair primaries in the state.
Some of the groups : Imo Youth Council, the Agenda Vanguard (A V), Imo Youth Enlightenment Organisation (IYEO), Rochas Youth Alliance (RYA), APC Youth Vanguard (APCYV), Youth Equity Group (YEG), APC Youth League (APCYL) and the Imo Youths Agenda (IYA), on Tuesday angrily stormed out of a meeting organised by the Special Adviser to Governor Okorocha on Youth Affairs, Kenneth Emelu at the Imo Youth Centre to lobby for their support for Nwosu.
Addressing a press conference shortly at the Imo Concord Hotel, the State Commander, AV, Comrade Ibeawuchi Nwannaeri who spoke on behalf of the groups said that APC would only support a candidate who emerges through a credible party primary, irrespective of the zone.
Although, Nwannaeri described Nwosu as a good candidate for the position but he maintained that the party’s interest should be paramount.
“We don’t want to make mistakes, youths of Imo do not support endorsement of an individual , Nwosu is a youth and a good man, but the interest of the party should be paramount, no matter what, be it Madumere, Nwosu, Ololo or Ejiogu, what we are saying is that they should emerge through the party primary,” Nwannaeri said.
Similarly, a stakeholder of the party, and a former Commissioner for Information, Vitalis Ajumbe said that their is nothing wrong for the governor to endorse any candidate, but noted that he has no right to determine who becomes his successor in 2019.
He added that the right to choose who becomes the next governor of the State should be determined by the electorate. “Governor Okorocha has the right to support any candidate, but has no right to determine who becomes the governor, it is left for the electorate to decide.