BY Taiwo Adebulu
Rochas Okorocha, governor of Imo state, says the crisis rocking the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is beyond repair.
The governor said this while receiving the party reconciliation committee led by Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano state, and Godswill Akpabio, senator representing Akwa Ibom north-west, at the Imo International Convention Centre (IICC), Owerri, the state capital.
The governor said he honoured the meeting because of his relationship with the two party leaders but the situation at hand can no longer be managed.
He accused Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the party, of stealing the mandate of the people and inflicting the worst political injustice in the history of Nigeria on the state.
Okorocha had been at loggerheads with Oshiomhole over the choice of Hope Uzodinma by the national working committee (NWC) as the governorship candidate of the APC in the state.
Uche Nwosu, his son-in-law, is Okorocha’s preferred choice.
“There shouldn’t have been a crisis in the party because of the affinity of the members. We are like one big family. When we came in 2011, it was a miracle,” Okorocha said.
“The who-is-who in Imo politics were against us, but we won that election. We moved from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to APC because of the name of President Muhammadu Buhari, which is synonymous with integrity. I am a foundation member of the APC. I suggested the name APC.
“When we started, we were called names; we were made to look like aliens in our state. This is the only state you have elected office holders that are of the APC extraction. Those Adams Oshiomhole gave the tickets were not APC members. The worst political injustice in the history of Nigeria happened in Imo.
“The only reason these people are here is because of President Buhari, not because they have benefitted. The issue we have is with Adams Oshiomhole. He stole the mandate of the people and gave it away for reasons best known to him. The people here are concerned because the name of the person on APC ticket is not the candidate of their choice.
“Let me make bold to say that this is not about the people here but across the breadth of the state. The name you hear is Uche Nwosu. But for me, against all the speculations that I am leaving APC is not true. All the state and local government executives are intact. We have done everything to resolve the issue but it appears to have gone beyond repair. The situation at hand has gone beyond what we can manage.”
Uzodinma, the APC governorship candidate, and Nwosu were absent at the peace meeting.
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