A prominent stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State and real estate developer, Chief Success Obioma Akagburuonye, has called on politicians and business leaders to uphold the sanctity of agreements and place a premium on human life, saying the absence of these values is fueling rising tensions in the polity.
Akagburuonye made this call at his country home in Ogbor-Uvuru, Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area, where he hosted members of the Owerri Senatorial Zone Council of Elders as part of ongoing consultations to identify an acceptable governorship candidate for the zone ahead of the next election.
The meeting followed the public position of Governor Hope Uzodimma that power should shift to the Owerri zone, with the governor pledging to endorse a successor from the area.
Speaking with journalists after the consultation, Akagburuonye—who is positioning himself as one of the APC’s prospective governorship aspirants—recounted what he described as a narrow escape from an assassination attempt.
According to him, suspected hired assassins allegedly laid an ambush along the Owerri Airport Road and around his ancestral home, but their plans were thwarted through timely security intelligence.
“Security reports revealed the plot ahead of time, which led to the arrest of some of those involved,” he said. “I will not disclose where they are being held so as not to jeopardise ongoing investigations.”
Akagburuonye, who also convenes a political advocacy platform known as Hope Rising for Imolites, alleged that preliminary intelligence reports suggested the involvement of a former governor of Imo State in the plot. He, however, did not name the former governor, noting that investigations were still ongoing.
“I have no reason to dismiss the preliminary security findings,” he said, adding that his long-running dispute with the former governor over landed property may have triggered the alleged hostility.
The APC chieftain claimed that he entered into a business discussion with the former governor in 2018 through a family intermediary, but the deal collapsed shortly after initial talks. He alleged that the former governor has since employed “toxic means” to dispossess him of some of his Abuja properties.
“The matter is currently before the Court of Appeal in Abuja,” Akagburuonye said. “I believe these actions are connected to attempts to intimidate or eliminate me because of my legitimately acquired assets.”
He urged political actors to embrace dialogue, respect the rule of law, and shun violence, warning that the politicisation of business disputes and personal vendettas poses a grave danger to democratic stability.
“Politics must be played with the fear of God,” he said. “No ambition or business interest is worth a human life.”
