The primary election, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), is scheduled to hold on April 13.
The group, led by Emmanuel Ekeji, made this appeal while addressing newsmen on the outcome of its meeting in Owerri.
Speaking at the press briefing, Ekeji described Ukaegbu, who is popularly known as Chief Ikenga, as the only gubernatorial aspirant of the party who has been with the party from the beginning.
He accused other aspirants of not caring about the LP, adding that they only joined the party because of the wave of the Obidient Movement.
Ekeji stated that Ukaegbu was a pioneer member and candidate of the LP in 2019. He pointed out that Ukaegbu gave other candidates a good challenge and refused the alleged offers made by political parties to woo him.
Ekeji said that Ukaegbu saw tomorrow and remained in LP patiently, waiting for its glory days to come.
“This has come through with the emergence of Mr Peter Obi as the LP Presidential Candidate. Today, Chief Ikenga is standing on the stage side-by-side fellow great sons of Imo, who are equally in the race for the Imo governorship ticket. One of them must bear the flag for LP in the forthcoming Imo governorship election in November. We urge party delegates to ensure they don’t hand over LP structure in the state to the All Progressives Congress (APC)," he said.
Ekeji added that while the rate of infiltration into LP is expected, the group does not expect delegates to be deceived into electing alleged APC surrogates to hold the LP ticket. He called on the delegates to heed their sincere counsel and elect a true LP member, Ukaegbu.
Meanwhile, Osinachi Mbaoma, a Zonal Coordinator of the group, said that it would be better to elect "the only original LP member among the aspirants" than to make the mistake of selling Imo LP to APC. Mbaoma noted that Ukaegbu's greatest passion was to help the poor, which is exactly the kind of leader Imo State needs. He added that Ukaegbu has the required wisdom and intellectual sagacity to turn the fortunes of Imo around, especially with his global network and experience.
Mbaoma described Ukaegbu as an investor of excellence who knows exactly how to unlock the prosperity of Imo. He said that Ukaegbu's political structure, Imo Solution, is not just a name but the real definition of who Chief Ikenga is and what he stands for.
“We, therefore, urge Imo LP delegates not to go for old names and faces in Imo politics. We need a true servant-leader like David, who was in the bush with his father’s flock, doing great exploits behind the scene," Mbaoma said.
The appeal made by the concerned Imo Labour Party youths has attracted a lot of attention in the state, with many people expressing their support for Ukaegbu. Some have praised him for his steadfastness and loyalty to the party, while others have highlighted his excellent leadership qualities and his ability to transform Imo State.
As the primary election approaches, all eyes will be on the delegates to see if they will heed the appeal of the concerned Imo Labour Party youths and elect Chief Joseph Ukaegbu as the party's candidate for the upcoming gubernatorial election in the state.