Even as tongues are wagging that there is a grand design by the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha to foist his Chief of Staff and son-in-law, Chief Uche Nwosu on Imolites, as the next Governor, there are signals to indicate that the Governor’s aide is not keenly interested in succeeding his boss.
Following the body language and verbal comments from Okorocha concerning his would be successor in 2019, there are wild speculations that the Governor is tilting towards his son-in law. Okorocha had not only dismissed zoning as a factor which would have favoured other zones than Orlu, where Nwosu hails from, but also pegged the age limit of the preferable successor to 50 years, which somehow favours his Chief of Staff.
Only recently, a cross fire of verbal tackles and challenges between some loyalists of Governor Okorocha backing a 2019 Governor of Orlu zone and some pro-Owerri zone for Governor advocate ensued.
But beyond the brouhaha welcoming interest for the 2019 Guber race, the man at the center of the storm, Nwosu, appears unperturbed over the controversy of the successor war. Trumpeta can authoritatively reveal that the Chief of Staff office is taking the development with “philosophical calmness”, and therefore has said nothing.
An in-dept investigation into the political affairs of the Chief of Staff office indicates that Chief Nwosu does not want to be drawn into the guber debacle for now, hence there is no public statement yet concerning the 2019 guber interest.
A close associate disclosed that irrespective of the allegation that Nwosu is the heir apparent to the throne after Okorocha completes his tenure in Government House, Owerri, the Chief of Staff is only concerned about his duties in office.
Trumpeta further learnt that apparently not wanting to be an instrument of cheap blackmail and unwanted controversy in the battle for the zone entitled to produce the next Governor of Imo State, Nwosu is said to be eying the Orlu zone senate seat come 2019.
Authoritative sources close to the Chief of Staff who does not want to be named, disclosed that he has started perfecting strategies to run for the Senate under the platform of the APC.
“I can confidently tell you that Ugwumba (Uche Nwosu) does not want his name and integrity soiled because of the 2019 governorship, hence he has decided to focus on Senate race”.
Further revelations to the fact that Nwosu is warming up for senate emerged when the COS told an aspirant for Federal House of Isu, Nwangele, Nkwerre and Najba to go ahead since he (Nwosu) does not want to run.
This newspaper learnt that rumors had it that Nwosu would go for the House of Reps before the issue of Governorship came. But when a lawmaker who is interested in moving higher to the National Assembly (names withheld) reportedly conferred with him on 2019, it became clearer that Nwosu is looking beyond the lower chamber of the National Assembly. It was gathered Nwosu is aiming to go to senate for Orlu zone, thereby dismissing unconfirmed rumors about his House of Reps and Guber ambition for 2019.
