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From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The Managing Director of Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC), Hon Austin Onyedebelu, has been elected as the new state chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This is even as the former Owerri Municipal Council chairman, Hon Kelechi Ibezim, emerged as secretary at the state congress of the party held on Tuesday at the Heroes Square in New Owerri, the Imo State capital.
Earlier in his address, Governor Hope Uzodimma commended the sterling performance of the members of the outgoing state executive committee. “They did their job without disappointment to our collective expectations,” he said.
However, the governor made it clear that the decision to elect a new executive was driven by strict adherence to party rules and a deeper commitment to zonal balance.
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He said, “Our commitment to the Charter of Equity has made it necessary that some party positions must move from where they are presently situated to other zones to be able to enable us raise a succession plan that will give us another governor that will be acceptable to the entire Imo people.”
The governor stressed the prevailing unity within the Imo APC, stating that: “In Imo State we are united; we love our state and ourselves, and we have resolved that never in the history of this state should we encourage any form of crisis, be it political or security in nature. We must be our brother’s keepers.”
Uzodimma further elaborated on the necessity of the leadership reshuffle, declaring, “For the interest of equity and balance, which must allow for political harmony and stability, we must be intentional about our commitment and arrangement to have and encourage, spread, where leadership will continue to rotate from one senatorial district to the other from time to time. It is for this reason that I did not support the re-election of our current party executives.”
The new state chairman, who is from Oru East council in Orlu senatorial zone, succeeded Hon Macdonald Ebere from Owerri Municipal Council in the Owerri zone, who was elected in 2021.
