The President and Commander-in-chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Umar Yar'Adua will be in Imo state, one of the states in south-Eastern Nigeria on a one-day official visit on Monday,21st january,2008. This is the President's first official visit to the state.
The President's visit according to Government official announcements is to lay foundations/commision Federal Government projects in the state.
Imo state government house sources however, informed us that the President will use the opportunity provided by the visit to put pressure on the state Governor, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim to join the President's political party, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP),as a permanent solution to the political cold war between the Governor and PDP chieftains in the state.The Governor contested and won the last gubernatorial election on the platform of Progressive Peoples Alliance(PPA).Similar pressure, we were informed, will also be put on the Anambra state Governor,Mr.Peter Obi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA).
Dr. Ohakim for sometime now according to well placed sources have been having a cold war with the PDP chieftains in Imo state, which sources attribute to the Governor's membership of another political party. The Governor was a PDP member.Sources believe that it is a matter of time before impeachment is introduced into the cold war through the PDP dominated Imo state house of assembly.
In the run-up to the 2007 gubernatorial election in Imo state,the PDP was well positioned to win, but lost to PPA due to an untidy gubernatorial candidate nomination proceedure.
Sources further informed us that when the Governor approached the President to intervene in the cold war, the President made it clear that the permanent solution to the problem will be for the Governor to join the PDP.We have not been able to ascertain so far,whether Dr. Ohakim will go with this option or not, but we can reveal that there will be a close-door meeting between the President and Imo state PDP chieftains on one hand and another between the President,the Governor and Imo state PDP chieftains on the other hand.
We were unable so far to get comments on these from the Governor or his spokespersons.We were not allowed ascess to the Governor's office in Owerri on Friday 18th january,2008.There is also no published e-mail address of the Governor's or that of his spokespersons known to us at this time.
