Imo State Government, in conjunction with the State Police Command, has demolished Jessy Best Hotel and Ugwudi Cottage Hospital mortuary services, all situated on the Owerri-Aba Road in the Ngor Okpala local government area.

Also demolished were two expensive houses, a bungalow and duplex with large compounds and a smaller apartment in Ngor Community in the Council area, which was said to be a shrine where fetish articles were discovered and burnt by the enforcement teams.

Unclaimed corpses were evacuated from the mortuary to another body preservation centre before the demolition.

Speaking to journalists at the scene before the commencement of the demolition exercise, the State Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, disclosed that the order to demolish the properties was issued by the State Governor, Hope Uzodinma.

The CP said that the owner of the properties, Stanley Oparaugo, popularly known as Morocco, has been declared wanted by his command, following his refusal to honor several police invitations.

The Police Chief disclosed that credible intelligence gathered revealed that the properties were haven for alleged criminal infractions.

Danjuma stated that the demolished mortuary was suspected to be a spot for organ harvesting activities as most of the bodies were mutilated.

The CP added that “the suspect can only run but can’t hide for too long as the long arm of the law would catch up with him”.

Danjuma reiterated that under his watch, users of the Owerri-Aba Expressway would continue to witness safe trips, even as he urged members of the public to provide his Command useful information that would lead to the arrest and prosecution of the fleeing suspect.

In the same vein, Commissioner for Health in the State, Chioma Egu, said that the essence of the demolition of the mortuary as directed by the Governor was to prevent further health and security crises in the State.

Egu said that apart from the fact that the facility was not registered and licensed to operate, the discoveries made by her ministry showed that most vital organs from the deposited corpses were missing.

She revealed that going forward, her ministry would commission a taskforce team that would clamp down on preservative centres that do not meet up with the standard requirements of operation.

Lending her voice, the Chairman of the Local Council, Chika Ibekwe, said that the people of the area were grateful to the State Governor for being courageous in fighting insecurity in the LGA.

She promised that under her watch, the LGA would continue to be a safe environment for residents and visitors.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Monitoring and Compliance, Chinasa Nwaneri, and his team were also on ground during the demolition exercise.

The Civic Action for Democracy (CAD) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately sustaining the deregistered Action Peoples Party (APP) to orchestrate political instability ahead of the 2027 general elections. The group said the commission’s conduct amounts to a calculated attempt to contaminate the electoral process and provoke a constitutional crisis.

Addressing journalists in Owerri, the Executive Director of CAD, Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, said INEC’s continued recognition of APP was not an error but a pre-arranged operation by what he described as an “electoral cartel” working within and around the commission. According to him, APP ceased to exist in 2020 and was affirmed dead by the Supreme Court in 2022, making any further recognition of the party legally impossible.

Ngoforo accused INEC of misleading the public by claiming there was a subsisting court order stopping APP’s deregistration. He maintained that no such injunction was ever issued, and no judge in Nigeria delivered any ruling in favour of APP after its deregistration. He insisted that INEC’s explanation was a fabrication designed to keep the defunct party alive for ulterior motives.

He argued that even if such an injunction existed, interim orders in Nigerian jurisprudence do not survive beyond fourteen days unless renewed. According to him, the claim that a non-existent injunction has remained valid for six years is further proof that INEC’s explanation cannot withstand legal scrutiny.

The CAD director noted that concerns around APP’s status did not begin today. He recalled that in 2020, after the deregistration exercise, Lagos-based lawyer Eunice Atuejide had demanded evidence of the supposed court order. INEC, he said, failed to produce any documentation then and has continued to avoid addressing the matter transparently.

Ngoforo stated that the controversy resurfaced in 2024 when APP suddenly participated in a local election in Rivers State, despite its deregistration being upheld by the apex court. He said this development prompted another legal challenge from senior lawyer Barrister Ukpai Ukairo, who filed a suit demanding that INEC expunge APP from its register permanently.

According to him, the lawsuit has now exposed deeper internal compromise within INEC, revealing actors who are allegedly manipulating the commission’s systems to keep APP active for political purposes. He claimed that the illegal recognition of APP is being driven by a powerful political network, including a serving federal lawmaker and an influential INEC contractor.

Ngoforo cited the controversial councillorship seat reportedly awarded to APP in Jigawa in 2024 as further evidence that INEC was sustaining the party artificially. He said that seat “did not come from a legitimate electoral contest” but was created to give APP the appearance of political activity ahead of the 2027 elections.

He warned that the objective of this manoeuvre is to use APP’s illegality as grounds to challenge the credibility of the 2027 polls. According to him, the plan is to field APP candidates nationwide, wait for them to lose, and then secure a post-election ruling that INEC erred by allowing a deregistered party onto the ballot.

Ngoforo argued that such a ruling could be weaponised to discredit the entire election, triggering demands for cancellation or judicial intervention. He described the scheme as “a premeditated setup designed to manufacture chaos and throw Nigeria into avoidable turmoil.”

He warned that foreign-backed political actors may also leverage the APP controversy to push narratives of electoral illegitimacy, thereby igniting national tensions. According to him, countries like Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire had experienced major political breakdowns caused by similar manipulation of party lists and electoral procedures.

Ngoforo said the implications go beyond political competition and touch directly on national security. He called for urgent intervention by the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the network sustaining APP.

He stressed that while the INEC Chairman did not originate the anomaly, the responsibility for restoring credibility now rests squarely on his shoulders. According to him, the commission must immediately declare APP deregistered, remove it from all records, and expose those responsible for keeping the party alive.

Ngoforo concluded that failure to act swiftly would confirm that a conspiracy to derail the 2027 elections is already underway. He said CAD and other pro-democracy groups will intensify pressure until INEC cleans up its system and restores public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process

The Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has declared his intention to mobilise political support in the state for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 general elections, signalling a significant shift in the political dynamics of the state.

Fubara made the declaration following his decision to align with the All Progressives Congress, the ruling party at the federal level. He explained that the move was informed by the need for political stability, stronger collaboration with the Federal Government, and faster development for Rivers State.

According to the governor, he is confident that his political structure and grassroots influence across the state will ensure overwhelming support for President Tinubu in the next presidential election. He noted that aligning the state with the centre would help create a more harmonious political environment and improve governance outcomes.

Fubara further stated that cooperation between the Rivers State Government and the APC-led Federal Government would open doors for increased federal presence, infrastructural development, and economic opportunities in the state. He described his decision as one taken in the best interest of Rivers people.

The declaration has been welcomed by leaders and stakeholders of the APC, who view the governor’s move as a major boost to the party’s strength in the South-South region. They believe his involvement will significantly alter the political landscape of Rivers State, long regarded as a stronghold of the opposition.

Political analysts say the development reflects early positioning ahead of the 2027 elections, as parties and key actors seek to consolidate influence in strategic states. In Rivers, the governor’s pledge is expected to reshape alliances and intensify political activities as the election season approaches.

With Fubara’s vow to deliver Rivers State for President Tinubu, attention is now focused on how the unfolding political realignment will impact voter sentiment and electoral outcomes in the state ahead of 2027.