The appointment of Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, as the Coordinator of Re-election Committee, Southeast, of President Mohammadu Buhari in 2019, may have at last passed through the eyes of the niddle, but the matter has thrown the All Progressive Congress APC in the Southeast zone into crisis.
According to impeccable sources close to this Newspaper, Okorocha’s emergence as Buhari’s Coordinator in the Southeast may soon ignite a tsunami that will shake the foundation of APC to the ground.
As have been reported in various Media, the nomination of Imo State Governor to spear-head Buhari’s re-election bid in the Southeast for 2019 election received a majority objection among the APC Southeast at a zonal meeting, presided over by the Southeast APC zonal Chairman, Chief Emma Eneukwu to discourse the issue.
But the Director-General of Buhari campaign and former Governor of Rivers State, Chief Rotimi Amaechi came to Okorocha’s rescue, as the Minister of Transportation pleaded for the Imo Governor, and used his veto as the campaign Director-General to endorse Okorocha’s nomination.
It was reported that the meeting which took place at the Abuja residence of the Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige witnessed a stormy session as the leaders vehemently rejected Okorocha’s nomination for such a sensitive position.
Sources at the meeting hinted Newsmen that allegations against Okorocha by the Leaders for not endorsing his nomination include that the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has lost connection with Ndigbo, which has caused his popularity to nose-dive among Igbo masses.
The Leaders also alleged that Okorocha by his leadership style is pitched against Religious leaders, who see his policies as confrontational and insultive to their fate.
The most embarrassing of all the allegations was that Okorocha as the Chairman of APC Governors Forum, could not even keep Southeast APC together, which they said led the Southeast APC to lose two major elections in the Southeast, including the just concluded Anambra State Governorship election and that of Victor Umeh as Senator.
The Leaders did not stop there. They went on to allege that Okorocha has refused to fund APC in Imo State leaving the party to grope in the dark.
A source at the meeting told Journalists, “Prominent among litany of objections include Okorocha’s unpopularity among Ndigbo, the Religious organizations and his inability to provide effective leadership to APC in the Southeast”.
Meanwhile, after scaling the Buhari Campaign Director’s hurdle, the Imo State Governor as the man to direct Buhari’s campaign in the Southeast hosted a Leadership meeting of Southeast APC Chieftains at Imo Government Lodge in Abuja yesterday.
The meeting attracted who-is-who of APC extraction in the Southeast, including the Minister for Science, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu.
Others include Senator Ngige, Chief Reagan Offomba, Senator Osita Izunaso, Ifeanyi Araraume, Benji Uwajumogu, Prince Eze Madumere, Chief Marcon Nlemigbo, Chief Longers Anyanwu, Chief Orikeze Ajumbe, Hon Omegara, Chief Uche Nwosu and others.
In the meeting, it was agreed that all States in the Southeast should nominate one person each for the Buhari campaign organization in the zone, led by Gov Okorocha.
It was resolved that the template would be extended to the LGAs and Wards in the South zone.
Okorocha assured to carry everybody along, even though some members of the party still believe that Okorocha’s latest political antecedents, which tend to be anti-people, may dog him and create a bad market for the larger APC chances in 2019 in the zone.
But a source close to the Imo State Governor said that the open rejection before the campaign Director-General, Chief Rotimi Amaechi and other Southeast APC Leaders was an eye opener and the Governor has promised to charge style and turn a new leaf.
