Governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha, has warned All Progressives Congress (APC) members against what he described as funny politics, which played out during the ward congresses held at the weekend.
He said he expected better internal democracy.
The governor decried a scenario where people wanted to steal ballot boxes and results during the exercise.
Okorocha spoke to reporters after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday in Daura, Katsina State.
He met behind closed doors with Buhari and Zamfara State Governor Abdul Aziz Yari.
He said he updated the President on the outcome of the ward congresses conducted by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) across the country.
He frowned at the way some members of the party in some states conducted themselves during the exercise, saying the party would check such incidents in future.
Okorocha said: “We expect internal democracy and internal democracy is the way to go. Those kind of funny politics that were played must stop, where people want to carry ballot boxes, steal results look so primitive.
“I intimated Mr. President and we will make sure that such things must stop.”
On the President’s response, the governor said: “He spoke like the President and he will take the necessary steps to correct this in our party, APC, not just in Imo but across the whole nation, to make sure that there is respect for internal democracy.”
However, Yari, who spoke on the outcome of the ward congresses, said the exercise went well in the North West region.
He said: “You know in a democracy, you cannot expect everything to work 100 per cent.
“But in our region from the information available to us, everything went well in Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and Kano, where people expected that there may be a problem, the exercise was successful.
“But anybody that has complaint, there is a committee set up by the national executive of the party. They should take their complains there so that they will be attended to.”
But Imo State APC leaders, comprising state, zonal, local government and ward executive members, have demanded for unbiased ward congresses committee and a new date for the congress.
They called for thorough investigation into the role of the Ward Congress Committee, which they insisted was contrary to the spirit of the party.
The APC chieftains maintained that the ward congress did not hold in any part of the state as the congress committee hijacked the sensitive materials for the congress.
In a communique jointly signed by the party’s state secretary, Obioma Ireagwu, the local governments’ chairmen, party leaders including the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Acho Ihim, the Deputy Speaker, Ugonna Ozuruigbo, among others, stated that ‘there was no ward congress anywhere in Imo State on Saturday May 5 or any other date”.
Similarly, the state commissioners have called for the reschedule of the botched ward congresses.
This was contained in a six paragraph communique they issued after a careful deliberation on the matter in Owerri yesterday.
