The immediate past governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, and the board chairman of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Ifeanyi Araraume, were absent on Saturday as the All Progressives Congress led by the state governor, Hope Uzodinma, conducted its state congress.
At the Congress held in Owerri, the state capital, Uzodinma’s aide and long time loyalist, Macdonald Ebere emerged as the state chairman.
Ebere, a native of Owerri in Owerri municipal council, was the General Manager of Imo Environmental Transformation Commission under the Uzodinma administration.
Congratulating the new chairman, Uzodinma charged him to reconcile the differences in the party.
The governor said, “I want to urge you not to betray the confidence reposed on you by the great people of Imo State. Go out there, carry out your political evangelism, preach the good message. Tell the story the way it is and our party will grow from strength to strength.
“I will give you all the support you will require. APC is a national party. APC is a party to beat in Nigeria. APC is the party that produced me to be the governor of Imo State.
But Okorocha, through his media aide, Sam Onwuemeodo, said that he was not aware APC held any congress in the state.
The aide who spoke to our correspondent said, “We are not aware that there was APC congress in Imo State. What they did today was a birthday party. As long as we are concerned, Dan Nwafor is the authentic chairman of APC in Imo State.
“There is an APC court judgment to that effect. It has not been vacated. You don’t put something on nothing and expect it to stand.”
(PUNCH)