■Threaten court action
■ Insist on 4-year tenure of their office
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State may be heading for a showdown with the 27 Local Government Council Chairmen in the State if the latter goes ahead with their threat of a court action. Credible reports indicate that the Council Chairmen elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are opposed to the proposed September,2026, Local Government Council Elections,insisting that their tenure of office should be four years instead of the two years being imposed on them.
They vowed that they will not succumb to unlawful intimidation,stressing that they may head for the court for an interpretation of their tenure of office if the Imo State government proceeds with its plans to conduct fresh elections before the expiration of their tenure in 2028.
The Chairmen, who were elected during the September 21, 2024 local government election and sworn into office on September 30, 2024, argued that, based on the Supreme Court’s judgment on local government autonomy, elected Local Government Chairmen and Councillors are entitled to a four-year tenure. They contended that conducting another election before the completion of their four-year tenure would be unconstitutional and would,therefore,be seeking legal redress if anything to the contrary happens.
Sources within the party alleged that the move to challenge the proposed election is being coordinated by a female Council Chairperson, who is said to be leveraging her alleged closeness to Governor Hope Uzodimma through her family relationship. She is said to have fallen out of the governor’s good books due to non-performance.
Meanwhile, the issue reportedly featured during the Strategic Interactive Session organised by the APC Imo State Chapter for stakeholders from the Owerri Zone. The meeting held at the party’s state secretariat along Okigwe Road, Owerri, attracted the State Chairman, Chief Austin Onyedebelu, members of the State Working Committee, Executive Council Chairmen, Local Government Party Chairmen, Ward Chairmen, Councillors, and other stakeholders.
According to a reliable source at the meeting, Chief Onyedebelu informed party stakeholders that the state government is expected to conduct local government council elections within the next three months. He reportedly urged serving Executive Council Chairmen, Councillors, Ward Chairmen, and Local Government Party Chairmen to begin mobilising and preparing for the forthcoming polls.
The APC Chairman was also said to have encouraged party members to remain united and committed to strengthening the party’s grassroots structures ahead of the elections.
However, the interactive session reportedly exposed growing dissatisfaction within the party. Several Local Government Party Chairmen complained that some serving Council Chairmen have failed to carry party structures along in the administration of local government affairs.
The aggrieved party officials reminded the gathering that Governor Hope Uzodimma had previously directed Council Chairmen to work closely with party leaders and grassroots structures following the last round of party activities. According to them, greater collaboration between elected council officials and party executives is essential to consolidating the APC’s strength ahead of the proposed local government elections.
Reacting to the reported legal threat, a former Sole Administrator from one of the local government areas in Orlu Zone, who requested anonymity, strongly criticised the serving Council Chairmen.
Describing them as “the worst set of people you can get,” he accused them of betraying the governor who, according to him, made their emergence possible.
“When Dr. Fabian Ihekweme (Omu) from Obowo local government area and Dr. Chima Matthew Amadi (Mazi Gburugburu) from Ngor-Okpala Local government areas were criticising the governor over local government allocations, none of these Chairmen came out to defend the governor or explain the partnership between the state government and the councils on the utilisation of federal allocations for development projects,” he said.
“Even the Chairmen of Obowo and Ngor-Okpala local government areas did not make any statement in support of the government when their kinsmen were abusing the governor. What greater betrayal can there be? They are receiving far higher allocations than we received during our time, yet we achieved more. Most of them got their positions on a platter of gold,” the former Sole Administrator stated
“They have continued to accuse the governor of shortchanging them in the sharing of federal allocations and now claim that the government has no right to conduct another election. Did they truly contest an election in the first place, let alone win one?” he added.
Another party source, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, accused several Council Chairmen of neglecting both the party and their appointees.”They have failed to support the party and have not even been paying many of their appointees. Rather, they are busy amassing personal wealth,” the source alleged.
He further claimed that one Council Chairperson from Owerri zone last year spent over ₦10 million to acquire a high traditional chieftaincy (High Chief) title, a development that indigenes and stakeholders from the area considered wasteful, frivolous, desperate, and uncalled for, especially for someone who begged to be allowed to come and serve the people Despite publicly complaining that the governor was giving Council Chairmen only a small share of the federal allocations,the majority of them still allegedly indulged in frivolities with public funds, They are busy acquiring properties in Owerri with local government funds. The party leadership is really unhappy with the performance of many of these chairmen,” the source averred.
