George Onyejiuwa, Owerri

The Publicity Secretary of the Dr. Hilary Eke-led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Imo State, Engr. Nwabueze Oguchienti, has said that the group would not participate in the purported new state congresses of the party as announced by Governor Rochas Okorocha scheduled to start this Friday with the ward congress.

Recall that Governor Okorocha and his loyalists had lost in the state congresses of the party conducted in May to the alliance which had produced wards, Local Governments executives of the party and Dr. Hilary Eke as the Chairman of the party in the state.

The state Congresses had also produced state delegates ahead of the party’s National Convention in June.

But the Federal High Court, sitting in Owerri, had quashed the state Congresses on July 4, following the suit filed by Governor Okorocha which  had been since appealed by the Hilary Eke-led alliance.

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However, Engr. Oguchienti said that members of the alliance would not partake in what he described as ‘an illegal congresses’ as announced by the state Governor as the matter is already before the Appellate Court.

According to him, “We are not going to participate in the Governor Okorocha’s illegal congresses because there is no need to do until the Appeal Court gives its ruling on the nullification of the previous state congresses by the Federal High court Owerri which is a court of first instance.

“You could recall that after the state congresses in which Governor Okorocha and his loyalists had to the stakeholders of the party in the state, he also lost at the Appeal committee set up by the national working Committee.”

He added the state, local government and ward executives of the party in the state had since been inaugurated and recognised by the National Working committee.

The Publicity Secretary also said that the stakeholders of the party in the state are not bordered by the purported new state congresses by the state governor.