The June 7-8th National Convention of All Progressive Congress, APC held in Abuja has come and gone but not without leaving devasting effects on the side of political gladiators from the state who played active roles in the exercise.
In Imo APC, factions exist, which has also eroded the fabrics of the party, Trumpeta can reveal that while there are two major factions belonging to Governor Hope Uzodinma and his predecessor, Rochas Okorocha who was an aspirant in the contest, the likes of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume can’t be ruled out in the state chapter.
Unfortunately, at the end of the exercise which saw Bola Ahmed Tinubu the winner, the top shots of Imo in different camps became losers, as the one who ran for the contest not only failed to emerge but those others supported failed.
From the beginning of the quest for who would win, Uzodinma who is incharge of the mainstream of the party in Imo showed interest in the Presidential aspiration of Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan. He openly got involved in the purchase and submission of the nomination form of the Senator President.
It was even learnt that he was incharge of the delegates and they were for Lawan which made the eventual winner, Tinubu not to visit Imo State for consultation and support.
Hopes were high that Uzodinma would come back to Owerri victorious when the party’s national chairman against all odds named his favourite Lawan, the consensus candidate of the party before the voting commenced next day.
Despite that Uzodinma’s colleagues from the Northern part of the country made a case for a Southern candidate, the Imo State governor was said to have stuck to Lawan. At the end of the cast of votes, the Senate President came a distant fourth to make the Uzodinma a loser while Tinubu became victorious.
Worst hit among the Imo APC politicians who had vested interest in the party’s convention is former governor, Okorocha. Inspite of spirited efforts he made to gain chance of succeeding Buhari before and during the convention, he came back empty handed.
As a lone ranger who claimed to be pilot, Okorocha didn’t go into alliance with anyone. This newspaper noticed that Okorocha didn’t even get a single vote from the delegates drawn from all the states of the Federation including his Imo. Till this moment, 48 hours after the convention, he is yet to either react or open up on what transpired in Abuja leading to his zero score.
Though he wasn’t among the contestants who ran for the Presidential ticket of APC, but Senator Ifeanyi Araraume was one of the visible backers of Rotimi Amaechi an aspirant who came second. One of the APC leaders who accompanied the former Rivers State governor to consultations and campaigns during the pre-primaries activities was Araraume. Even at the convention ground, Trumpeta noticed his presence in the side of Amaechi signaling that he also lost out with the victory of Tinubu.
