Akalites lament over alleged neglect by the APC government.

“Students” of Umuaka Times Institute last week lamented over what they described as a total neglect of Umuaka community by the ruling APC government at all levels. These views were expressed in a weekly online debate organized in the Umuaka Times newspaper’s whatsapp group otherwise known as Umuaka Times Institute, UTI.

Speaking during the opening speech for the debate, Darlington Ojy Onwukwe gave a rundown of what the community benefitted from the defunct National Party of Nigeria NPN between 1979 and 1983 when the late Chief Herbart Dikeocha was representing Umuaka and other communities at the Imo State House of Assembly. According to him, Imo State was under Nigeria Peoples Party NPP and Dikeocha being a smart politician from NPN, went all the way to Lagos where he had an audience with the then president of the country, the late Alhaji Shehu Shagari who listened to the late Honourable and Umuaka got a post office, commercial bank and a police station.

When the debate was made open, Mr Innocent Duru from Uba was as usual the first to speak on the topic which was Has Umuaka Benefited From PDP and APC Government. According to him, Umuaka has seen more woes from the APC more than anything else. He lamented that the only road which the local government had shown interest to upgrade has been abandoned. The road which is Afor Umuaka Orie Amurie Road by the time Umuaka Times visited the road; it was indeed a sad story to tell. The road is almost unmotorable as a result of erosion.

Others who spoke during the debate agreed with Mr Duru’s views and called for a drastic change. The debaters seriously lamented and wondered how APC successfully penetrated the state and started to make negative inroads in the state, with no worthy positive impact.

As the debate went on, a report which was published by an APC member from Uba Umuaka, Mr Chibuike Duruoha came to the public domain. The report titled Umuaka Ward 1 Passes Vote of Confidence on Etiokwe, Governor Uzodimma, generated a lot of heat across Umuaka. The report says, “Yesterday, October 15, 2025, a delegation from Umuaka Ward 1 paid a courtesy visit to the People’s Performing Executive Chairman of Njaba LGA, Hon. Chief Vitalis Ugochukwu Obi, JP (Etiokwe Njaba) at his office in the Council Headquarters, Nnenasa. Leading the delegation was Hon. Mrs. Florence Nwaikwu, the Councilor representing Umuaka Ward 1, stated that the purpose of the visit was to pass a vote of confidence on the Executive Chairman of Njaba LGA, Hon. Chief Vitalis Ugochukwu Obi (Etiokwe Njaba), and His Excellency, Most Dist. Sen. Hope Uzodimma, for their visible and commendable leadership, as well as the ongoing developmental projects across Njaba and Imo State at large.”

When Umuaka Times made her independent findings, it was gathered that the purpose of the visit was to complain to the Njaba LGA chairman Hon Vitalis Obi (Etieokwe) over the deplorable roads and social infrastructure in Umuaka Ward 1.

The report also confirmed that the APC chairman Umuaka Ward 1, Chief Cyril Ukeoma, “praised Etiokwe for his performance so far, describing him as a true leader who has brought development and stability to Njaba.”

Many Akalites who read this report did not agree with the views expressed by Chief Ukeoma. They argued that Umuaka community has not only been forgotten by the ruling political party but abandoned.

In conclusion, Akalites who took part in the debate called for fresh hands in the affairs of the Njaba LGA and the state.