Imo SDP distances self from purported swearing-in of interim exco members

The leadership of the Imo State Social Democratic Party (SDP) has dissociated itself from the purported swearing-in of interim Exco members of the party.

The SDP leadership strongly condemned the action of the self-acclaimed National Youth Leader of the party, Amb. Henry Eluwa, who recently orchestrated what he described as the swearing-in of an interim executive for the Imo State chapter of the SDP.

Speaking to journalists in Owerri on Wednesday, the SDP Chairman of Mbaitoli Council Area, Chief Christian Opara, labelled the event as baseless and deceitful.

He asserted that the leadership of the Imo SDP remains firmly intact under the guidance of Rev. Dr Andy Nwokoro.

According to Chief Opara, the party’s structure, from the state down to the ward level, is fully functional and loyal to Rev. Nwokoro, with no room for an illegally imposed interim body.

Chief Opara went further, accusing Amb. Eluwa of being the architect of the SDP’s ongoing crises, which have reverberated from the state to the national level.

He pointed out that during the height of the party crises at the national Secretariat, the former state chairman, Amb. Eluwa was very explicit when he stated publicly that wherever El-Rufai and Peter Obi go, there he would be.

He said, “Now ask him why he is still floating around and never joined the ADC.”

He alleged that Eluwa, driven by greed, unilaterally accepted the position of National Youth Leader from a faction not recognised by the party’s mainstream leadership.

This move, Chief Opara claimed, not only breached party protocol but also led to legal troubles, with Eluwa and his associates being arrested, detained and charged to court, and the matter still ongoing.

Opara regretted that the fallout from Eluwa’s actions has been severe.

He pointed to the loss of the party’s secretariat at Whetheral Road by Cherubim Junction as a direct consequence of Eluwa’s divisive tactics.

In a bold challenge, Opara demanded that Eluwa reveal the location of his office and the venue where the purported swearing-in took place.

He also pressed Eluwa to clarify his alignment among the contentious national factions—Shehu, Ogunleye and Modibo—questioning the legitimacy of his claimed title.

Chief Opara urged the people of Imo State to disregard Eluwa and his so-called interim executive.

He emphasised that Eluwa has lost all credibility and influence. Opara starkly noted that Eluwa cannot even boast of a single supporter in his own ward, let alone command the loyalty of the broader party membership.

He described Amb. Eluwa’s purported power play as nothing but a fleeting illusion.