sure there is only one fed in weightlifting, but like any sport, there is plenty of politics in weightlifting: drugs is a big issue internationally and locally (eg in Australia there was a big ASADA investigation into weightlifting in 2007), redefinition of weight classes (several times, including once very recently), abolition of the press, etc.
IOC, FIFA, all are rife with politics, corruption etc. Even locally, think of the controversy and criticism surrounding the AFL, NRL, Cricket Australia etc. Sport, for something that is meant to be recreational, invites passion and controversy.
But the fact that the place where powerlifting started, and the place where most media concerning powerlifting comes from, the US, is the place with the dozens of competing federations, means every litte controversy is magnified and can cause serious division. This is not necessarily an accurate reflection of the state of the sport worldwide.