By Our Reporter
Chief Austin Onyedebelu has been elected as the new Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State following the party’s state congress held on Tuesday.
Onyedebelu, who currently serves as Managing Director of the Imo State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (ISOPADEC), emerged through a consensus-backed process that produced a new state executive for the party.
Party stakeholders described his emergence as a strategic move aimed at strengthening internal cohesion and consolidating the APC’s structure across the 27 local government areas of the state.
As head of ISOPADEC, Onyedebelu has overseen development initiatives in oil-producing communities, focusing on infrastructure and social intervention projects. His elevation to the position of state chairman is seen by party members as an opportunity to align governance and party organisation ahead of future political engagements.
The newly elected executive committee is expected to begin reconciliation efforts within the party and intensify grassroots mobilisation in the coming months.
The APC state congress in Imo is part of a nationwide exercise conducted by the party to elect new executives at the state level. The congresses followed earlier ward and local government congresses held across the country.
State congresses are constitutionally mandated within the party to renew leadership structures, address internal disputes, and reposition the party ahead of major elections. The process typically involves accreditation of delegates, adoption of consensus candidates where agreed, or voting where necessary.
The outcome of these congresses is expected to shape party leadership dynamics and influence preparations for upcoming electoral contests at both state and national levels.