The maiden official visit of Nigeria’s President Muhamadu Buhari to USA may have come and gone, but behind the scene events which however coloured the interactive session , the country’s head of state had with USA president, Barrack Obama, may have left a sour taste in the mouth of some highwire politicians, reports Trumpeta Newspapers.
Part of the sordid scene was the indifference approach of President Buhari, to some top shots who found their ways to Washington DC, where the head of state was billed to meet Obama.
The Federal Government had made public names of those pencilled down to join Buhari to USA. Among the names excludes a prominent politician in Imo and seasoned governorship aspirant, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume.
However, Ararume who was not part of the official delegation to the USA was reportedly spotted within the precincts of the Nigerian team that joined Buhari in the USA.
Trumpeta learnt that Araraume, a widely travelled personality with valid visa to the USA joined those believed to have gate-crashed to mill around the place.
The efforts of Araraume and others who were not officially invited to seek Buhari’s face and razzmatazz in the course of his official visit failed as the President was said to have looked the other way.
It would be recalled that Araraume, a PDP governorship aspirant in the Dec 8, 2014 primaries made a volt face about his membership of the party by romancing the second term ambition of governor Rochas Okorocha, moments after Goodluck Jonathan lost the President position to Buhari. A pro APC Araraume reportedly visited Buhari in Daura, Katsina before he was officially sworn-in as President.
Further revelation has it that the two time Senator who represented Okigwe may be seeking the face of Buhari to be relevant in the new dispensation and be included the scheme of things in APC even as his followers have become broom-party compliant in recent time.
More interesting was an unconfirmed report that the Senator has been secretly oiling his political machinery and foot soldiers to launch a comeback in 2019 using APC platform, hence his quest to get Buhari’s attention. The same desire to reach out to Buhari, it was gathered, took him to the USA, to again , ambush Buhari after the first attempt in Daura, the President’s country home.
Sources who were part of the USA team revealed that it was an unsuccessful attempt for Araraume and others as Buhari shunned personal discussion with a class of profiled persons who trooped to USA for a chance meeting on their own.
Trumpeta however gathered that Araraume’s unsuccessful attempt may not be unconnected with the presence of Imo State governor, Okorocha, who was officially engaged as part of the Buhari delegation. Okorocha who was spotted closely with Buhari during the trip in USA did not give space for Araraume to have a chance meeting with Mr President.
As the numero uno of APC in Imo and indeed to the South East, the governor is said to be working to emerge the arrowhead of the party and in Buhari’s regime an act that has left other Igbo key players in APC, like Araraume in the cooler. Trumpeta was informed that the race for 2019 Imo Governor, which is yet to kick start may be the reason for the mickey-mouse game between Okorocha and Araraume.
