By Charles Kumolu
OWERRI—NATIONAL Coordinator of All Progressive Grand Alliance Youth Vanguard,APGAYV,  Mr. Ositadinmma Okechukwu Omeze, has condemned what he described as the man handling of Imo State Chairman of All Progressive Grande Alliance,APGA, Nze Nwaka, and other party officials by thugs alleged to be hired by a gubernatorial candidate in the state (names withheld).

He also noted that the thugs  injured many principal officers of the party who were at the Secretariat in Owerri with dangerous weapons.

The APGA chieftain stated that the guber candidate, who recently decamped to the party to contest the 2011 general elections, had arrived the secretariat of the party with dozens of youths to demand for the postponement of the state congress of the party scheduled for Wednesday on grounds that he needed more time to make consultations.

According to Omeze,     “he came demanding that the congress be postponed to enable him make consultations. He was advised to conform himself with the rules and guidelines of the party but he got angry and started abusing everybody.

Before this time, he had been lobbying and intimidating the executive members of APGA to grant him automatic ticket to contest the governorship election in the state which everybody told him was not possible.”

He, however, described the incident as an act of lawlessness, adding that it did not reflect the true face of APGA.

“I have never seen this level of lawlessness in the past. I can’t believe that the guber candidate can descend so low. This is a man who joined APGA a few days ago and was given the opportunity to participate in the electoral process like every other member, in spite of the fact that he has contributed nothing to the formation and growth of APGA. Most Nigerians know him as an unprincipled political prostitute,” Omeze noted.

Continuing, he said, “It was the magnanimity of the leadership of our party which is at the fore- front of the struggle to entrench lasting democracy in Nigeria that gave Rochas the right to join APGA in spite of information available that he was planted in APGA by our opponents to cause confusion and weaken the Party before the 2011 general elections,”