A meeting presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday night which had been called to resolve the logjam which followed the congress conducted by the Imo State chapter of All Progressive Congress (APC) has apparently hit a deadlock.
The Vice President met behind closed-door separately with Governor Rochas Okorocha and some political stakeholders from the state including the deputy governor, Prince Eze Madumere, enators Ifeanyi Ararume and Osita Izunaso, Benjamin Umajumogu, Theodore Ekechi, among others, but it was unable to reach a consensus on the stays of the congress.
The governor had maintained that no congress was conducted in the state and so, there will be a new exercise, his deputy insisted that a valid congress held last Saturday, adding that they had been able to convince the Vice President on the matter.
Okorocha, who was accompanied by his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, who is his preferred successor, had earlier met with President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura over the same issue apparently feeling shortchanged over the Congress.
Speaking to State House Correspondent after the meeting,
Okorocha posited: “There will be new Congress, there was no Congress at all in Imo State. And it is very clear that even the supporting documents and videos show that there was no Congress.
“INEC has confirmed no Congress, security agencies have confirmed no Congress, the party leadership has confirmed no Congress, the party chairman has spoken no Congress. And, nobody came to the field, the result sheet was missing and it was traceable to the national organizing secretary’s house and all of a sudden the chairman of the panel disappeared from his house at 6pm in the evening. How could there have been Congress? The matter is being investigated by the security agencies.”
When asked why it was necessary for him to come for the meeting, he said: “I didn’t come with them, I came for different thing all together. I didn’t come for this meeting.”
On the position of the state APC chairman who confirmed the congress, Okorocha noted: “Okay, we can also give you a video showing clearly where he said there was no Congress on that day. You know, these are manipulations that will not yield any result, they know the truth.”
Asked when the new Congress will hold, he said, “Well, it will be announced by the party,” sailing that he had no idea that his deputy and others were in the villa.
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Also speaking, the former commissioner of information and strategy, Theodore Ekechi, said they were able to show documentary evidence that the congress did hold.
He said: “As you can clearly see, both from our faces and demeanor, we just had what we may call a very eventful meeting with the Vice President. We are grateful for the opportunity and privilege to tell the other side of the story.
“I think by our presentations we have successfully deflated all the lies that have been peddled all over the country and within the state. I think by our presentation today, we have been able to state clearly that Congress clearly and really held.
“What did not take place in Imo state last Saturday was simply that we resisted the temptation, the intimidation, the blackmail to write the result of the congress in the Government House Owerri.
“What did not take place last week is that we said the old has passed away and things are going to be done anew in Imo State. In other words, not one man determine the results of the congresses in the 305 wards of the state. It is very clear that APC has returned to the owners of the party, that is the people.
“You saw all those who came with the Governor, his son-in law, former errand boy and newly recruited commissioner. But here you are, this is Imo State. Here we have the deputy governor of the state, the only elected senator of the south east under APC, former speaker house of assembly, Imo state, another former speaker house of assembly, Imo state, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, the immediate past Secretary to the State Government and immediate past chief of staff, former commissioner for information and strategy, chairman of the party and deputy chairman of the party, you have 25 local governments chairmen of the party in the state on this side, who then is left in Imo State.”
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