By Thompson Agu, In Abuja
Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha may be on the firing line of the All Progressive Congress, APC if he matches words with action over reported decision to support aggrieved APC aspirants on his side who decides to join another party for 2019 election.
Okorocha at a press parley on Tuesday gave a hint that he won’t stop his former Chief of Staff, Uche Nwosu from realizing his governorship ambition if he chooses to run in another party other then the APC for the election.
The governor, who made several claims against the party national chairman Adams Oshiomole, went further to state that he would remain in APC to run the Senate race, but is free to support who he chooses in any party.
According to him “in the 2019 general election, we are going to vote for candidates and not political parties. I am in the best position to assess the candidates and I know that among all the governorship candidates, Nwosu remains the best”
Going further, he opened up further to state, “I have been trying to manage the situation but I have no moral justification to stop the aggrieved candidates who felt shortchanged from realizing their ambitions in any other party but I have not left APC and does not intend to leave APC. But you must realize that in Imo we don’t play party politics but politics of individuals”. Since Senator Hope Uzodinma was declared winner of the Governorship ticket of APC, Okorocha is yet to accept the verdict.
Trumpeta learnt that the indisposition of Okorocha to candidates of the party for the 2019 election not part of his faction and certain comments that are in contrast party rules and supremacy may put the governor in trouble.
Our correspondent in Abuja learnt that the APC NWC is not comfortable with the position of Okorocha over his divided stand on candidates of APC and his followers leaving the broom party for another one.
A member of the party’s NWC who didn’t want to be mentioned while reacting over Okorocha’s comment on who to support for 2019 election, said that the statements credited to the governor didn’t only come as a rude shock to the party, but was unexpected of a leader who is the chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum.
“It is unexpected from him. One had expected the governor to wait till the end of the job of the Reconciliation committee before making such a pronouncement.
“Somehow, the party has a constitution and may check if the governor by his utterances will be under watch for a likely case of anti-party. And if found wanting may face disciplinary sanctions as expected”, the party leader added.
Even as the presidency overruled Oshiomole on sanctioning of party members who dragged APC to court, the leadership had declared interest to punish those found wanting. The decision was a warning signal that the NWC would use measures to
Discipline members not in agreement with the decision of the party.
Meanwhile, the governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has said that Chief Hope Uzodinma, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, Prince Eze Madumere and few others are not in actual fact fighting him. He said they are only tools in the hands of some big shots in the Country over their 2023 ambition.
Governor Okorocha according to a statement from Govt House made the remark on Tuesday November 27, 2018, regretting that Politicians outside Igboland who want to fight any particular Igbo Politician must use fellow Igbos as tools.
His words “Hope Uzodinma is not fighting Rochas Okorocha. Neither is Ifeanyi Araraume nor Eze Madumere or Emeka Ihedioha. But they are been used as instruments to fight Rochas because of the 2023 ambition of some big shots in the Country. And that tells the story of the Igbos. We don’t support our own, rather we destroy our own”.
He said “What is happening in Igboland today cannot happen in any other place in Nigeria because Igbos have made themselves Shopping Centers where people can come and shop and buy people to destroy their own. It is not a good omen.”
