Many people were injured on Monday when the supporters of the Imo State Deputy Governor, Eze Madumere, and that of Governor Rochas Okorocha’s son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, clashed during a political meeting.
The clash happened at the council hall of the Mbaitoli Local Government Area, Nworubi, where the supporters of Okorocha’s son-in-law had gone to endorse him for the 2019 governorship election.
The deputy governor hails from the local government.
Both Madumere and Nwosu are jostling to succeed Okorocha.
However, Okorocha had last week publicly announced that he would support his son-in-law who is currently his chief of staff should he declare interest in the governorship seat.
Sources at the meeting told one of our correspondents that a political group, known as “I Believe Movement,” which is pro-Nwosu and the supporters of the deputy governor attacked each one with dangerous weapons immediately the mission of the visitors was announced.
According to an indigene of the LGA who was at the meeting, the pro-Nwosu supporters had sent them a short message service inviting the members of the community to the meeting without stating its agenda.
The indigenes, according to the source, became enraged when the visitors announced that the essence of the political gathering was to endorse Okorocha’s son-in-law for governor.
“The members of I Believe Movement took us for granted. They came to our Local Government Area to endorse the governor’s son-in-law against our son, Madumere who is the deputy governor of the state.
“They want to use us to score a cheap political point against the deputy governor who is our son. The annoying aspect is that they didn’t inform us why they invited us.
“Immediately we realised what their plan was, we told them categorically that we are supporting our son,who is the incumbent deputy governor for the governorship election.
“They started shouting ‘I Believe Movement in support of Uche Nwosu’ and we started shouting Madumere. They picked offence and started fighting us,” the source explained.