…Insists Nwachukwu remains legitimate Chairman, blasts April 28 “interim leadership” as distraction
OWERRI — The factional Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State, Lancelot Obiaku, has dismissed claims of a parallel leadership within the party, declaring that there is no division in the state chapter.
Speaking at the PDP secretariat in Owerri, Obiaku affirmed that Austine Nwachukwu remains the only duly elected State Chairman of the party, stressing that his emergence was the result of a transparent and constitutionally guided process.
Obiaku urged party members, particularly those loyal to the Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere-led faction, to refrain from actions capable of weakening the PDP’s position as a viable opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
“The leadership of Austine Nwachukwu did not emerge from the moon,” Obiaku said. “It is the product of credible congresses held at the ward, local government, and state levels between July and August 2024, all monitored by INEC, the media, and security agencies.”
He emphasized that no parallel congresses were conducted at any level and that the processes remain unchallenged in any court of law or within the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms.
Obiaku described the emergence of another factional leadership on April 28, 2025, as an “ugly and desperate ploy” to distract the party, warning that “no individual can stay in his house with friends and declare an interim leadership without due process.”
He reiterated that the PDP in Imo remains united under the leadership of Austine Nwachukwu and guided politically by Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
“Under this new leadership, which assumed office in September 2024, the PDP has introduced reforms that are restoring faith in the party and returning it to its members,” Obiaku stated.
He also took aim at the APC-led administration in the state, accusing Governor Hope Uzodinma’s government of poor governance. Obiaku alleged that despite receiving over N162 billion in local government allocations in the past 16 months, the funds have not translated into visible development across Imo’s LGAs, many of which still suffer from bad roads and crumbling infrastructure.
Furthermore, he criticized the state government’s inability to appoint a substantive Chief Judge and Attorney General, as well as its handling of the state’s civil service salary structure, describing the administration as being “at crossroads.”
“This is beyond politics. We owe the people of Imo a duty to hold the government accountable and fight for good governance,” Obiaku concluded.
The developments point to ongoing tensions within the Imo PDP, with calls for unity and legitimacy becoming central to the party’s push to reposition itself ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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