Ahead of the January 25 rerun for Isiala Mbano/Onuimo/Okigwe federal constituency of Imo state, chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state have accused the minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba of anti-party activities.
Nwajiuba who won the House of Representatives seat in Ehime Mbano/Ihitte Uboma/Obowo federal constituency. on the platform of the Accord Party was sacked by a court after he was inaugurated as a member of the National Assembly and replaced with Chike Okafor APC. He was later appointed a minister by President Muhammadu Buhari.
APC State Deputy Youth Leader, Christogonus Chidi Unezeh, told Daily Trust that Nwajiuba is working against the party in preference to the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) because of his closeness to Governor Emekea Ihedioha.
Unejeh said that Nwajiuba’s closeness to the ruling party in the state is a source of worry, stressing that the rumour making the rounds was that the minister may be planning to defect to the PDP after the Supreme Court ruling on Imo governorship election.
The party chieftain alleged that Nwajiuba is favouring the PDP candidate in the rerun instead of his party’s candidate.
He said, “Nwajiuba has been playing an anti-party game since he was appointed a minister. He has not been attending meetings and has dissociated himself from members of APC in the state. He has been spreading the rumour that the governor will join APC after the Supreme Court judgment and that’s what he has been using to woo and cajole APC members to buy into his anti-party agenda.”
Unezeh said that the minister is also nursing plans to join the PDP in case the first option fails, hence, his abandonment of the APC.
Efforts to get the minister were unsuccessful. Calls made his phone were not answered while a text message sent to his phone was not acknowledged.
APC State Chairman, Dan Nwafor admitted that Nwajiuba had been absent from activities of the party, but stressed that it’s not a sign of anti-party activities.
However, State Organising Secretary of PDP, Damian Opara, said that the party would be happy to welcome Nwajiuba.
Opara told our correspondent that as a serving minister, he will be a great asset to the party, adding that it is not out of place that Nwajiuba is a friend of the governor irrespective of party differences.
He said, “PDP will be happy to have Nwajiuba as a youth to contribute to the success of Ihedioha administration because PDP is youth friendly party.”
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