The flaming passion of Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha to become President of Nigeria might have hit the rocks if the recent sharing of party offices in the yet to be registered All Progressive Congress (APC) will serve as a determinant factor in shaping or influencing who emerges the presidential candidate of the party.
Trumpeta learnt that Okorocha’s APGA had anticipated juicy positions in the Interim National Management Committee of the APC as a basis to strengthen his ambition.
While major opposition political parties that make up the APC, such as the ACN, ANPP and CPC secured choicest positions such as the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Treasurer, Okorocha’s APGA were rewarded with obscure posts such as Deputy Financial Secretary, Deputy National Woman Leader, one vice-Chairman slot and one ex-Officio member’s position.
The only significant post it got is Deputy National Chairman (South). Pundits interpret the allocation of meaningless slots to APGA to Okorocha’s poor political bargaining skill in addition to the fact that he ran into the merger just to seek for political refuge and not to run for the presidency in the first place.
Informed sources however revealed to Trumpeta that Okorocha’s slot in the APC interim leadership was predicated on the basis that his party, APGA did not fully take part in the merger since APGA as a political party did not surrender its certificate of registration to INEC unlike the ANPP, ACN and CPC who held national conventions and surrendered their respective political parties certificates as a basis and condition for registration.
Based on these permutations, it is unlikely how the Imo Governor will clinch the APC’s presidential ticket which may likely go to the CPC considering the fact that the ACN and ANPP have secured the most powerful positions in the party, the National Chairman and National Secretary slots.
However, Trumpeta learnt that the allocation of party positions is temporary as such positions would be re-jigged to reflect and accommodate ethnic & religious diversity of the nation when the APC holds its national convention to elect its executives latest in December this year.
There are strong indications that in line with the zoning policy obtainable in the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Imo State may forgo the position of National Woman Leader and take National Publicity Secretary.
Last Thursday, majority of office holders resigned their positions as expected after INEC report indicated flaws in their election. Dr (Mrs) Kema Chikwe of Imo State was among the officers who resigned from her office thereby throwing up another woman from Imo, Hon Mrs Oyibo Nwaneri as new acting PDP National Woman Leader.
As nominations have commenced for the fast approaching national convention to elect new officers, Trumpeta learnt that Imo state may no longer get the woman leader position.
Competent sources revealed that part of the arrangement to bring in freshers and inject into pro-Jonathan camp is to swarp the positions among the states. In the process, Imo is said to have swarped allocations with Anambra who initially had Olisa Metu as the party’s PRO.
The new allocation may have informed some interested hopefuls from Imo to declare their interest. Leading the pack is Chief Chyna Iwuanyanwu who reportedly had filed in papers for the National Publicity Secretary job.
According to the sources, Kema Chikwe may succeed in getting a second chance if the Woman Leader position is zoned to Imo and thrown open to the women folk. But for her alleged connection and political affinity with former President Obasanjo, she has to be frustrated out of the race for the National position.
