The campaign council of the Action People’s Party (APP) candidate for Imo East Senatorial District, Chima Amadi, has raised an alarm over an alleged plot to militarise Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of the state ahead of the January 16, 2027, National Assembly elections.
The campaign council, in a statement issued on Tuesday by the candidate’s Chief Press Secretary, Cajetan Duke, alleged that some individuals within the All Progressives Congress (APC) were holding clandestine meetings with persons suspected by community sources to be members of cult groups.
It further alleged that the meetings were centred on the recruitment of such individuals into government-supported community vigilante structures, ostensibly ahead of the senatorial election.
The campaign council said it is particularly concerned that the alleged recruitment could be aimed at intimidating, harassing or suppressing opposition supporters, particularly members and supporters of the APP and Amadi.
It added that the January 16, 2027, election is “a constitutional democratic exercise, not a military expedition,” insisting that no political party or government had the right to use coercive means against citizens because of their political choices.
The campaign council said the alleged development, if established, would amount to an attempt to create fear where political persuasion had failed.
“When a political party starts looking beyond the ballot box and allegedly begins searching for armed men and cult-linked elements, it raises a fundamental question: what exactly are they afraid of at the ballot box?” it asked.
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The campaign council challenged the APC and other persons allegedly involved in the meetings to explain the purpose of the reported recruitment, saying the people of Ngor Okpala deserve clarification before election day.
The campaign council also disclosed that its legal department is preparing a formal report to relevant security agencies, urging them to investigate the allegations before they degenerate into violence.
“Our security agencies must not wait until weapons are brandished, citizens attacked, or polling units disrupted before they act.
“Prevention is the essence of intelligence; investigation must begin before the alleged plot becomes a tragedy,” the statement said.
It warned against what it described as attempts to hide partisan political operations under the legitimate cover of community security arrangements.
According to the campaign council, vigilante groups should be established to protect communities and should not be transformed into “private armies for politicians” or instruments of electoral intimidation.
The campaign further appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders, youth leaders and other stakeholders in Ngor Okpala and the wider Owerri zone to reject any attempt to compromise the local security architecture for political purposes.
