Tunji Adedeji
The Imo state Governor, Rochas Okoroch has been reportedly blocked by some strong forces within the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA from officially retuning to the party, Trumpeta has learnt.
Trumpeta was reliably informed that there had been moves recently by the Chairman of the APC Governorship Forum (Okorocha) to join APGA , but were resisted by some interests within the party, as some key stakeholders in APGA especially in Imo state are opposed to the move .
Reacting to the said report while fielding questions from journalists recently at the party Secretariat, Owerri, Barr. John Iwuala, the Assistant National Publicity Secretary of APGA, in Imo State said Rochas leaving the party is indeed a blessing in disguise. APGA is not ready and willing to readmit the Imo Governor back into its fold.”
According to Barr. Iwuala, who also is the Propaganda Committee Chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA , “I wish to debunked media reports that APGA in Imo has accepted and re- admitted Okorocha back into its fold. Rochas is corrupt and his anti people policies which he contacted from PDP would have portrayed the party in bad light.”
“APGA has not accepted Rochas back to the party and is not ready to do so considering what Rochas did to the party and all his negative remarks against the party when he left to APC.
“It was a mistake having him at the first instance and APGA will not make the mistake the second time.”
Iwuala said, “APGA Imo State is poised to reclaiming her mandate of Governorship of IMO state come 2019. The flag of APGA will fly in the entire Imo state come 2019”
In a related development , Chief Rowlands, State Vice Chairman APGA Imo state Owerri Zone urged Imolites to kindly disregard the false news of the rejected and desperate Rochas who is already retired politically by his party APC Imo state .
He said, “that there is no iota of truth in this news and propaganda. APGA has not accepted Rochas back to the party and is not ready to do so .It is absolutely false from the pit of hell. This is a clear handiwork of the opposition to degrade the rising positive profile of APGA Imo State chapter and APGA in Nigeria generally. “We wish to use this medium to urge all well meaning imolites and good people of Imo state and Nigeria in general to disregard this false and unfounded news making round in the Media. ”
However, in his reaction, the Chief Press Secretary, to Governor Rochas Okorocha, Mr. Sam Onwuemedo, has denied the report that APGA blocked Imo state Governor from joining the party, saying that Governor Okorocha is one of the principal founders of the APC and is not going to leave the party for Senator. Ifeanyi Araraume ,Senator. Osita Izunaso and others.
According to him,”Okorocha became the propeller of APC in Imo and the whole of South East. Mobilizing people for the party in Imo, Ebonyi, Abia, Enugu, and Anambra States. He was the rallying point. And he did that in the overall interest of the South-East and indeed, APC.
“If Governor Okorocha did not take good percentage of APGA to APC, the party would not have had the kind of national spread it has till today. For that reason, they called him all sorts of derogatory names which Nigerians all know, including Alhaji in Government House, Okoro-Hausa, and Rochas Buhari”
He recalled that when the APC came for campaign in 2015 in Imo and all the States in the South East, he was the point man.
” Today too, the same people who called him names have begun to market falsehood against him including the fake story of jis leaving APC for APGA. All these could show the level of frustration on the side of the ten man coalition. They are been hunted by their inglorious actions” he said.
