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The Government of Imo State has asserted that it has washed its hands of what it described as the self-inflicted woes rocking the Labour Party (LP) in the state.
The LP National Secretary, Umar Farouk, had accused Governor Hope Uzodimma of trying to hijack the party following security agencies’ invasion of its premises in Owerri.
Farouq pointed out the state government was behind its current crisis.
However, on Tuesday, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba dismissed the claims as “mischievous and satanic”, saying the invasion was a result of infighting among various factions of the party in the state.
In a statement on Tuesday which was made available to The Eastern Updates, the commissioner said a faction secured a court order against the institution of a caretaker committee by another faction, necessitating the pasting of the order at the state secretariat of LP.
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‘It is a common knowledge that the Labour Party in IMO STATE has been engulfed in a leadership crisis even before the election. So,it is mischievous and even satanic for the national secretary to accuse the governor of trying to hijack the party,’ Emelumba stated.
He noted that the presence of security agencies at the premises was to enforce the pasting of the the court order at the LP Secretariat as directed by the court.
According to him, the governor has no need to be interested in the internal crisis of LP as he is busy attending to the affairs of the state.
‘Uzodimma is not a member of LP. He is not among those who went to court. He is not threatened by the party’s activities, so why drag his name into their crisis?’ Emelumba said.
He alleged that the crisis in LP started festering for a long time resulting in the state chapter arranging two different venues when the presidential candidate, Peter Obi, visited Imo for campaigns.
The commissioner said the government had approved a particular venue requested by the party, while another faction prepared a different one for the same event.
Emelumba accused the national secretary of the LP of “misinforming” Nigerians as to the real reasons the police visited their secretariat.
