A socio-political organization, Imo Leaders of Thought (ILT), has alleged that the recent exposure of the Action Peoples Party’s, APC illegal status by the Civic Action for Democracy is part of a carefully orchestrated political strategy by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma to frustrate the re-election bid of Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the current federal lawmaker representing Ideato Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
In a statement released by its leader, Dr. Gerald Obiukwu in Owerri on Tuesday, the group claimed that Governor Uzodinma recruited one Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, whom they described as a well-known political fighter from Ideato, to lead the campaign to destabilize APP and thereby render Ugochinyere’s political vehicle inoperable ahead of the 2027 general elections. The allegations add a dramatic political dimension to what had been presented as a constitutional and electoral integrity matter, suggesting that beneath the legal arguments about party deregistration lies a high-stakes power struggle within Imo State politics.
According to ILT, the target of the alleged conspiracy extends beyond Hon. Ugochinyere to include Mazi Chima Amadi, another prominent political figure who has declared his intention to contest the 2027 Imo State governorship election on the APP platform. Dr. Obiukwu’s group contends that by exposing APP’s deregistered status and demanding its removal from INEC’s database, Governor Uzodinma allegedly aims at simultaneously eliminating two significant political threats: Ugochinyere’s continued representation of Ideato Federal Constituency and Amadi’s gubernatorial ambitions.
The group characterized the move as a calculated political maneuver designed to exploit legal technicalities for partisan advantage, arguing that the sudden interest in APP’s registration status, after years of apparent neglect, is suspiciously timed to coincide with both politicians’ public declarations of allegiance to the party. ILT suggested that if the true motive were electoral integrity, as claimed by CAD, the matter would have been raised and pursued consistently since 2020 rather than emerging prominently only after Ugochinyere and Amadi had committed their political futures to APP.
The allegations have reportedly thrown the APP into turmoil, with inside sources confirming massive confusion within the party’s leadership and membership. According to information gathered, Mazi Chima Amadi is already receiving advice from political associates to abandon APP and search for an alternative, unencumbered political platform to pursue his gubernatorial ambitions, given the uncertainty surrounding the party’s legal status and the mounting pressure from CAD and other civil society organizations for INEC to delist the party.
Similarly, Hon. Ugochinyere, who has been a vocal critic of Governor Uzodinma’s administration and has used his position in the House of Representatives to challenge various policies and actions of the Imo State government, now faces the prospect of either defending APP’s legitimacy against overwhelming legal evidence of its deregistration or seeking a new political home with less than two years to the elections. The confusion has allegedly paralyzed APP’s momentum in Imo State, with potential candidates uncertain whether to proceed with their preparations or cut their losses and negotiate entry into other political parties.
ILT’s statement raised questions about the timing and motivation behind CAD’s comprehensive exposé of the alleged APP fraud. Dr. Obiukwu pointedly asked why an organization claiming to pursue electoral integrity and constitutional governance would wait until specific politicians had publicly committed to APP before launching such a devastating attack on the party’s legitimacy. The group suggested that Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, identified as the Executive Director of CAD, has a history of fierce political battles within Ideato and that his current campaign against APP should be understood as total war.
According to ILT, the implication is clear: CAD’s campaign, despite its elaborate legal argumentation and so-called documentary evidence, serves specific political interests aligned with Governor Uzodinma’s desire to clear the 2027 electoral field of formidable opponents.
However, observers contend that the exposure of APP’s deregistered status is not based on recent events or partisan allegations but on verifiable historical facts: APP was included in INEC’s February 2020 deregistration list, the Supreme Court affirmed INEC’s deregistration powers in March 2022, INEC claimed a restraining court order existed but has never produced it despite specific requests from Barr. Mrs. Eunice Atuejide in July 2020, and the party has continued to operate for nearly six years without legal foundation. These facts exist independently of Hon. Ugochinyere’s or Mazi Amadi’s political aspirations and cannot be wished away through allegations of political motivation.
They noted that the legal questions raised by CAD about APP’s status are legitimate constitutional matters that affect the integrity of Nigeria’s entire electoral system, not merely the political fortunes of two Imo State politicians, regardless of how the resolution of those questions might impact their ambitions.
