-Stakeholders Demand Action Over Alleged Ward List Manipulation
Tension erupted in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State on Tuesday evening as the Commissioner for Rural Development, Hon. Ifeanyi Oruh, reportedly escaped a near lynching following allegations that he attempted to hijack the All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congress process.
The incident, which occurred in Nwaorubi, the LGA headquarters, has further heightened concerns over internal democracy within the ruling party in the state. Eyewitnesses alleged that the commissioner sought to impose a self-produced ward congress list, contrary to the directive of the congress committee constituted by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
Party stakeholders disclosed that while a crucial meeting on the modalities of the congress was ongoing at the Government House Exco Chamber, the commissioner allegedly left the venue and proceeded to Mbaitoli with a group described as “cronies” and “unauthorised congress officials” in what critics termed an unconstitutional move, particularly as he is not an indigene of the LGA.
Unbeknownst to them, the congress committee—reportedly led by Hon. Godwin Anaughe as Chairman and Hon. Lucky Ajokperiniovo as Secretary—had been mandated by the NWC with clear guidelines for the conduct of the exercise. Stakeholders insisted that any deviation from those guidelines amounts to a direct affront to party supremacy and constituted authority.
According to sources within the party, leaders and stakeholders of Mbaitoli were alerted by vigilant members who noticed unusual movements surrounding the ward list compilation.
They reportedly rushed back from the Government House meeting and allegedly caught the commissioner and his associates manipulating ward lists.
The development sparked outrage among party faithful, who viewed the alleged action as a brazen attempt to undermine collective leadership and erode the integrity of the congress process.
Political observers argue that the incident is not isolated, recalling similar allegations during the last local government elections which, they claim, nearly fractured party unity in the state.
Many contend that repeated acts of unilateral interference by political appointees, if left unchecked, risk weakening the party’s moral authority and diminishing public confidence in its commitment to transparency and fairness.
For a party that prides itself on discipline and structure, such controversies, they warn, send troubling signals to both members and the electorate.
Consequently, concerned stakeholders have called on Governor Hope Uzodimma to immediately rein in the commissioner and reaffirm the sanctity of party processes. They urged the governor, as leader of the party in the state, to decisively halt any further interference in party leadership affairs by political appointees.
At stake, they maintained, is not merely the outcome of a ward congress, but the cohesion, credibility, and democratic integrity of the APC in Mbaitoli and across Imo State.
