Imo governorship: Nigerian lawmaker captured in viral video ordering APC thugs to stop other parties from campaigning

Ahead of November 11, 2023 Governorship Election in Imo State, a member representing Okigwe South in the House of Representatives, Deacon Chike Okafor has been captured on video telling supporters not to allow any other political party other than All Progressives Congress to campaign in their area.

Okafor, a former Commissioner for Finance under Chief Rochas Okorocha, was seen in a viral video addressing youths in his area that they should not allow other political party to campaign in their ward.

He told them that Senator Hope Uzodimma, incumbent governor of Imo State remained the only governorship candidate for the election.

In the viral video seen by SaharaReporters on Saturday, the Chief Executive Officer of Messiah Holdings/Group of Companies Ltd and a Deacon of Christ Embassy Church in Owerri, dressed in ash T-shirt with brown chino trouser, wearing a black and white striped canvas shoes was seen holding poster of Governor Hope Uzodimma addressing youths.

The lawmaker who is also seen wearing brown colour face cap is heard saying: "I want to thank you and I want to say congratulations His Excellence Senator Hope Onyedika Uzodimma for emerging as the candidate of our party and we assure him that Okenalogo our 15 polling units, we will close up everywhere (continued with Igbo language - it is you that we use to wage the war, is it not true? And the excited young men responded yes in chorus."

Continued he said, "We will give him (Uzodimma) 100 percent over 100 percent. Is it not our position, the crowd chorused again yes oh!" No other party is allowed to come to Okenalogo to campaign in that election. I am giving it to you as an instruction and as a directive. No other party should be allowed to drop anything canopy anywhere in Okenalogo. That is our position."

Meanwhile reaction has continued to trail Okafor's outburst as some has described him as Imo State's version of MC Oluomo loading.

In one of the social media posts in reaction to the comment, a man who gave his name as Sam and described him as a friend said "this is coming from a Pastor o! This idiot is Deacon Chike Okafor.

"He was a former commissioner for Finance under Chief Rochas Okorocha. He was a Manager in Zenith Bank on Bank Road Owerri. He was my professional colleague & also a friend.

"He is a Deacon of Christ Embassy church in Owerri. Presently he is the member representing Okigwe South in the House of Reps, & also the CEO of Messiah Holdings/ Group of Companies Ltd.

"You can imagine how the so called man of God portrays himself. I am going to forward this video to Arise news right away. This nonsense has to stop. *_Please help to escalate this even to Christ Embassy Overseer_" he wrote.