By Special Correspondent
The planned flagoff of the second term campaign of Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has been rescheduled.
This is following what observers described as a very disappointing turnout at the event.
While former governor of Kano State who currently serves as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Ganduje led a few other national leaders of the Party to the scheduled flag-off.
Governor Uzodimma was said to be disappointed at the high level boycott of the campaign event by notable leaders of the Party from the Southeast, including former governors and founders of the Party in the zone.
A chieftain of the Party in the Imo, who spoke on condition of anonymity expressed disappointment with the turnout at the event and argued that the sudden postponement was not unexpected, as it would have amounted to a big embarrassment had the flagoff gone ahead without any notable home support.
In his words, “It is clear that the governor is more or less alone as long as the Southeast APC is concerned.
“Election is not won with visitors, but with those at home. Imo people and Ndigbo needed to take ownership of the governor’s second term campaign, but what happened today was the opposite.
” All but very few founding leaders of the APC boycotted the event and most members of the crowd were hired from outside State, so it was only natural that the flagoff is put off to a later date, while another name is given to the event of today.”
It was also alleged that leaders of the Party had queried the governor about the whereabouts of key leaders and founders of the Party, especially, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Prince Eze Madumere, and others who were conspicuously absent at the flagoff, but the governor couldn’t provide any convincing explanation for the absence of those key Party leaders.
Recall that Uzodimma had announced to a bewildered crowd that the governorship campaign flagoff would hold on a later date, as the event of the day was for the inauguration of the campaign council.
However, political analysts in the state had disagreed that the event was the inauguration of a campaign council, as the entire program did not feature any usual inaugural item, like oath-taking or distribution of letters of appointment to members of the campaign council.
Leaders of the party from Imo State who were shortlisted in the list of campaign Council were absent without in the said inauguration.
Orji Uzor Kalu, Rochas Okorocha, Ifeanyi Araraume,Uche Ogah, Andy Ubah, Eze Madumere, Other top APC leaders in the south east were not seen at the event.
Uzodinma is said to have left Imo, to Abuja angrily, with some northern governors and APC national Chairman immediately after the controversial campaign Council inauguration.
