By tompson agu, Abuja
Fresh facts have emerged on reasons why Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State is publicly requesting the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha to join him in APC.
Okorocha who came back to the country last week while addressing the mammoth crowd that came to receive him from the Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri, said that in view of the defection spree rocking the lower National Assembly where APC is now the majority party in the House, it would be better for Ihedioha to join APC and save the Deputy Speaker position for the Igbo race.
Trumpeta learnt that Okorocha was merely weeping crocodile tears for Ihedioha’s sake and Ndigbo as his desire was borne out of sheer ulterior motives and personal interest. It was gathered that while the state governor was claiming to be sympathetic to Ihedioha over the new twist in the House, APC at the National level is using all fronts to push away the leadership of the House of Representatives, where Ihedioha is the second in command.
Top sources in Government House, Owerri, revealed that Okorocha’s expression on Ihedioha’s predicament is a mere smokescreen designed to deceive the ranking lawmaker and Imolites. The source revealed that while APC leadership which Okorocha belongs to are working tirelessly to seize power in the National Assembly for an onslaught against President Jonathan, Okorocha is at home deceiving Imolites by pretending as if he is pitying Ihedioha.
Our Abuja correspondent who have been monitoring developments at the National Assembly revealed that Ihedioha is not disturbed by the developments, stating that he still enjoys the confidence and trust of his colleagues in the Green Chamber even as a Federal High Court has barred the defection and stopped change of leadership.
It was however gathered that Okorocha apparently aware that APC is unpopular in the South East region and less-fancied in the state wants to use Ihedioha to shore up the fortunes of the party in the state, thereby destabilizing PDP.
“The governor is afraid of PDP, especially the party’s big wigs which includes Ihedioha. He feels that if Ihedioha withdraws from PDP, and joins APC, the opposing party will crumble and his APC will blossom. That is why he wants Ihedioha in APC”, our source who is APC top notcher in the state added.
Trumpeta was informed that Okorocha is frightened by Ihedioha’s antecedents and resources to challenge him for any battle hence the governor’s resort to subterranean device as a means of whittling down Ihedioha’s influence and reducing his political profile.
Reports have it that the governor’s trip to Abuja on Tuesday may not be unconnected to alleged plot to use the instrumentality of the office of APC Governors’ Forum to push for Ihedioha’s ouster and possibly tinker with the idea of joining APC to save his position. The presence of Okorocha in Abuja which coincided with the House resumption aptly gives backing to the suspicion that the Imo governor is accused of working against Ihedioha’s interest and that of the PDP in the state.
