The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is in confusion as the party has yet to conduct its primary elections, despite initially announcing August 22 and later August 24 as the dates for the exercise.
The primary elections are meant to select candidates for the 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 305 Wards in the state.
Party members are growing increasingly concerned about the delay, which may be linked to the recent Supreme Court judgment on the state governorship election.
Henry Ezirim, a party member, expressed his frustration, saying, “Many of us thought that the governor would directly fix the date for the exercise when he addressed the party members after the supreme court judgement, but to our surprise, no date was fixed.”
Governor Hope Uzodinma has made several public declarations regarding the APC primaries, emphasizing the need for a free and fair process.
During a stakeholder’s meeting on July 31, he stated, “The election will be decided through a free and fair process by the people. No person shall emerge from my table.” However, his recent silence on a specific date has raised concerns among party faithful.
The governor has proposed adopting a zoning system to select candidates, citing the need to maintain peace and political stability in various LGAs.
He warned aspirants against running against the zoning system, saying, “I am going to adopt what I described as the Imo formula, which allows fairness, equity, and justice to set an example for other states to emulate.”
The party leadership has announced that the primary elections will be conducted by consensus, but if that fails, a direct or indirect primary election will be held.