The race to Occupy Old Douglas House Imo State seat of political power has just begun and there has been series of endorsement of aspirants by individuals and socio-cultural groups, political associates and other elements in Imo State but the Majority Leader of Imo state House of Assembly and representative of Ikeduru state constituency, Barrister Uche Oguwuike PhD has come out to endorse the incumbent Deputy Governor of Imo state His Excellency Prince Eze Madumere as All Progressive Congress –APC Governorship candidate in the 2019 governorship election in Imo state. It was on 31st of march, 2018 when Ikeduru Opinion Leaders gathered at the Country Home of the former elected Chairman of Ikeduru Local Government Area and Traditional Prime Minister of Iho-Dimeze Chief Sam Aka where the more than 250 political and none political opinion Leaders spoke in unison to endorse His Excellency Prince Eze Madumere as the next elected Governor come 2019.
Barrister Uche Oguwike PhD
The Majority leader who is APC strong man in Imo state politics Barrister Uche Oguwuike PhD spoke in clear terms extolling the good virtues of the Deputy Governor Prince Eze Madumere as being a humble, open minded and supportive politician who should be supported to be elected as Imo state next executive Governor of Imo state under All Progressive Congress-APC platform. In a similar vein Imo state top businessman and veteran politician Chief Executive Officer of MACRON Nigeria Limited Group of Companies Chief Barrister Marcelinus Nlemigbo pleaded with Ikeduru elites to help in supporting Prince Madumere in realizing his political aspirations having come from the neighbouring community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area as they have done in the past in supporting sons of Ikeduru Local Government Area such as Late Senate president and Governor of Imo state Barrister Evan Enwerem and Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.
Other speakers in the forum included Chief Barrister Ignatius Nlem Chairman of Inter Party Conference-IPAC Imo state chapter , PDP Ikeduru LGA Chairman Chief Tony Iwuamadi and Elder Peter Aka all showed up at the occasion and admitted that they have overwhelming endorsed Eze Madumere while waiting for the conclusion of the Political parties to complete their Governorship Primaries where other Governorship aspirants such as PDP Senator Samuel Anyanwu also from Obodo Amaimo in Ikeduru is vying for the same exalted political office in Imo state, that it will be then that they will come together to fine tune their political stand in whose favour they would ask voters to support in Ikeduru. Both Mbaitoli and Ikeduru Local Government Areas were once under one Local Government Council then known as Mbaitoli/Ikeduru Local Government Area with Administrative Headquarters at Iho-Dimeze “Ezioha” a “common place” for administrative convenience.
Chief Sam Aka the traditional Prime Minister of Iho-Dimeze reiterated the facts that he was among Imo elites in the past who agreed on Imo state Equity Charter where rotation of office of the Executive Governor and other influential public offices should be distributed in equity to the existing three senatorial districts in Imo state. In a similar note Orlu Council of Elders from Imo West Senatorial District where the incumbent Chief of Staff Uche Nwosu comes from and a contending governorship aspirant under All Progressive Congress-APC have rejected Uche Nwosu as aprobable Governorship candidate. Their rejection came as resulted of the facts that Orlu Imo west Senatorial District had produced Governors who ruled Imo state for 16-years against other two Senatorial Districts of Owerri and Okigwe Districts. The secretary of Orlu Council of Elders Professor Nathan Uzoma stated this position at a Press Briefing at the state capital Owerri recently with the support of a legal luminary and current Chairman of Orlu Council of Elders Professor Francis Dike SAN. In their statement which reads “The Orlu Elders Council has made it abundantly clear that it will not support any governorship candidate from Orlu in 2019 because of equity and social harmony in the state. By 2019, they would have ruled the state for 16 years and it would be wrong for the zone to be talking of producing another governor in 2019”.
Continuing in the communiqué issued by Orlu Council of Elders it says “ There is a charter of equity in the state which was signed by the three zones on how political power is shared for there to be equity and social harmony in the state. What we want is a good and credible candidate from either Owerri or Okigwe and they will have our support because this organization is made up of Opinion leaders, the academia, professionals, businessmen and politicians across the 12 Council Areas of the zone and our opinion carries weight.”
The Imo state House of Assembly majority Leader Barrister Uche Oguwike PhD disassociated himself from the 20 members of Imo state House of Assembly who purportedly endorsed Uche Nwosu son-In Law of Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha to run for Governorship election in 2019.