Irrespective of the logistics provided for the hosting of the South East zonal rally of the All Progressive Congress, APC in Owerri, the Imo capital, the leadership of the party at the national level and the campaign team of the presidential flagbearer, are pissed off with the level of support the host governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha is providing for the success of Gen Mohammed Buhari in the presidential poll.
APC chieftains including Buhari emptied into Owerri yesterday for the final cap of campaigns in the South East states, which grounded the state capital
Part of the anti-climax of the Owerri rally was complaints form APC chieftains and Buhari’s apologists that Okorocha is shying away from Buhari hence, the inability of the governor to erect campaign billboards of himself and Buhari.
A top stalwart and Board of Trustee member of the party (names withheld) was said to have complained openly about the absence of Buhari’s billboards and banners from the Sam Mbakwe airport to the state capital. The APC official was also said to have made his observation known to other top party officials and the campaign team of the presidential candidate, Buhari, during a caucus meeting in Owerri about the lack-lustre approach of marketing Buhari in Igboland.
The APC chieftain who is from the South West part of the country was also said to have raised eye brows about the level of support Okorocha is giving Buhari by giving an impression that the Imo state governor could be a suspect and president Jonathan’s mole among the pack.
The heightened suspicious arose from the fact that no posters of Buhari with Okorocha were founds on the road and major streets while what littered all corners were the governor’s posters with that of other candidates.
A dependable source in Government House, who was present at the APC meeting in Owerri revealed that the APC leaders and Buhari campaign managers lamented the poor outdoor publicity Buhari gets while the governor and other APC candidates get wider attention by dominating all corners with their billboards.
The APC Chief also noticed that PDP candidates and that of other parties advertise President Goodluck Jonathan in their posters and billboard unlike Okorocha and APC candidates.
A reference point which attracted Okorocha query from the APC leadership is the case of Government House/Okigwe Road Round about where of the six billboards and electronic advert sign stationed there, non shows or promotes Buhari campaign as APC presidential candidate. The APC official queried the rationale behind having only the governor’s publicity items without mention of the presidential candidate.
Further revelations about the complaints of APC leaders centered on the obscure positions of available Buhari/Osibanjo campaign billboards and posters.
Piqued by the obscure location, the officials expressed surprise how President Jonathan’s billboards are scattered and adorning vantage positions in a state controlled by whereas Buhari seems inexistent.
Trumpeta learnt that questions were fired at the governor and accusations rained at him by the leaders for his inability to properly publicise Buhari in Imo and entire South East considering his positions as the only governor of the party’s extraction.
Buhari who spoke for only two minutes when granted the opportunity to address the people could not tell people of the South East what he would do for them if elected except to urge Imolites and people of South East to reject PDP and use their votes to send them packing at all levels.
The APC Presidential flagbearer warned that the party will resist all forms of rigging at every stages warning that the electorates should “Shine their Eyes” to avoid PDP rigging.
According to him, this is not the time for talks, but time for actions”, he added.
Meanwhile similar to what transpired in River State where the Deputy Governor Tele Ikuru dumped APC for PDP, an aide to governor Rochas Okorocha has resigned his appointment with immediate effect.
He is Chinedu Obi, the secretary of the State Universal Basic Education Board. No reason was giving for the resignation, but sources revealed that it might not be unconnected to recent decamp of the mother from APC to PDP.
Mrs Comfort Obi, a top APGA chieftain who joined Okorocha to APC dumped the governor recently for PDP.
