The State Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Imo State, Dr. Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, held an extensive media parley with select journalists from across various news houses in the State. The no holds barred conversation took place at the State Secretariat of the Party on Okigwe road in Owerri, the State capital. Below is a summary of the key issues discussed;
AS THE LGA ADMINISTRATION WRAPS UP THEIR TENURE: The Party Scribe congratulated the 2024 set of ALGON on the successful completion of their two year tenure and commended them for demonstrating efficient and transparent leadership in line with the Party’s manifesto.
“On behalf of the Party in Imo State, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the 2024 ALGON on the successful and impactful conclusion of their two year tenure. I want to assure them that the Party leadership is proud of them and we wish them success in their future political and non-political endeavours.”
When challenged on the performance of the former LGA chairpersons and councillors, the Party scribe insisted that the former officials performed well. He argued that this is the first time that Imo State is witnessing an uninterrupted democratic governance at the third tier of government in over two decades and praised the former officials for doing their best to sustain democratic governance at the grassroots.
UPCOMING LGA ELECTION: The Party Scribe insisted that the APC is “always ready and prepared” to participate in the election and advised opposition Parties in the State to get to work rather keep complaining.
“This is another opportunity for the opposition to test their popularity and acceptability just before the general elections. They should get ready to field candidates across the constituencies, rather than running from one court or the other in a bid to stall the election.”
He assured that the ruling Party will support the ISIEC to conduct a transparent and credible election on November 7th. When asked if the processes for the nomination of candidates have commenced he answered in the affirmative.
ON IMO WEST AND IMO NORTH SENATORIAL TICKETS; Dr. Onwuasoanya affirmed that the incumbent governor of the State, His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma is the candidate of the Party for Imo West Senatorial district while Distinguished Senator Patrick Ndubueze is the Party’s standard bearer for Imo North.
“Yes, we are aware that some unsuccessful aspirants have gone to court to challenge the nomination of our candidates in Imo North and Imo West Senatorial districts, but we are confident that such efforts are futile, because our Party followed the processes and also conducted very credible and transparent primary election which were applauded by relevant monitoring agencies and independent observers. We restate our plea to these Party leaders to withdraw their cases from the courts and return home to join our campaign train in spreading the message of Renewed Hope and continuity across the nooks and crannies of the State.”
When pushed if he believes that the duo of former governor Rochas Okorocha and Senator Ifeanyi Ararume would heed the advice of the Party, he expressed confidence that they will.
“These are respected Party leaders and I believe that if they genuinely believe in working for the victory of the Party, they would reconsider their decision of challenging the Party’s supremacy in court. We look forward to welcoming them back home to join us in hitting the campaign trail and mobilising for the Party’s total victory in the coming elections.”
ON PARTY DISCIPLINE AND LOYALTY; Dr. Onwuasoanya said that the Party leadership is in receipt of reports of some individuals who are attempting to override Party’s leadership and organogram in some places, while others have been accused of indulging in activities that are “outright rebellion against the Party’s authorities”.
“The Party will not condone any act of indiscipline and insurbidation by Party members, no matter how highly placed. I advise every Party member to study the 2022 Constitution of our Party, as amended, in order to understand their responsibilities as Party members. We must all abide by Party instructions and directives and ensure that we subsume our personal interests into the Party’s larger goals and programs.”
ON THE PARTY’S CAMPAIGN PROGRAMS; The Party Scribe also gave important updates on the Party’s ongoing campaigns and mobilisation strategies ahead of the 2027 general elections. According to him, the Party and its candidates are currently touring all the 305 wards in the State in what he described as a “dress rehearsal for full campaign flag-off”.
“Our candidates are everywhere in the State. Currently, we are on a Ward Mobilisation Tour across the 305 wards in the State. This is after we have recruited over 100,000 polling unit canvassers across the over 4780 polling units in the State. In each polling unit, we have 27 certified and voting canvassers whose duty it is to galvanise support for our Party in their localities and also ensure the safety of our votes during the main election. I can tell you that we are better prepared than all the other political Parties, and we shall win the coming elections with ease.”
He concluded the media chat by thanking media practitioners and journalists in the State for their professionalism in the discharge of their duties and encouraged them to remain alert as the watchdogs of the people.
Released by;
Izuu Chiadi, Special Assistant to the APC State Publicity Secretary.
