The Governor of Imo State Owelle Rochas Okorocha is said to have paid a secret visit to the National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in his House located atBurdillion Avenue, Ikoyi Lagos.
Impeccable sources told Imo Trumpeta that the Imo State Governor embarked on this visit before he jetted out of the country, a journey he is yet to return at as at the time of going to press.
Imo Trumpeta learnt that the major reason the Governor visited the former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, was for him to prevail on Senator Ifeanyi Araraume to withdraw his case against the Independent National Election Commission, INEC over the May 2011 Imo Governorship supplementary election.
Senator Ifeanyi Araraume flied the flag of ACN in the said election, and has gone to an Abuja Federal High Court, challenging the said election, which he is praying the court to cancel, since according to his lawyers, supplementary election does not exist both in the Electoral Act or the Nigerian Constitution.
The case comes up on October 4, 2012 atAbuja.
It was revealed that Okorocha literally sneaked into Tinubu’s palatical home, with a few trusted allies, including Senator Osita Izunaso.
Okorocha, it was learnt, appealed to the strong man of ACN to ask his party’s guber candidate inImoStateto sheath his sword and cease fire for out of court “settlement” which will “bring peace to Imo and stop heating the polity”.
The Governor, Imo Trumpeta was told that Okorocha even dangled the option of joining ACN, if that would stop the matter from proceeding further in court.
However, Tinubu, it was said, told his visitor that a matter of such magnitude is not what can be swept under the carpet, stressing that as a democrat; he cannot do anything that will not be for the growth of democracy inNigeria.
Tinubu went ahead to tell his visitor that though he is the National leader of ACN, he cannot take any action or decision without first consulting his members in Imo State, and implored Okorocha to see Dr Achike Udenwa for the way forward.
Udenwa, who was Governor in Imo when Tinubu reigned inLagos, ran as a Senatorial candidate under ACN in the last election.
However, the major problem now is that Okorocha cannot approach Udenwa now, even though both men worked together for the realization of their ambitions in the last election.
After Okorocha succeeded, and Udenwa failed, they momentarily worked together, but has now fallen apart with Okorocha lampooning Udenwa at any given opportunity, and has even disclosed that his administration has invited EFCC to arrest Udenwa over his stewardship between 1999 – 2007 as Governor of Imo State.
Pundits are saying that the Araraume vs INEC case is “dangerous” as it borders on constitution and Electoral act interpretation which has no technicalities but straight, as it may serve as a precedent in the Nigerian Judiciary.
“Any Judge handling such a matter must be careful, it can make or mar careers, as the case even though important, yet is simple because it looks straight” a senior lawyer told Imo Trumpeta.
