GOVERNOR Rochas Okorocha is known to have fought many battles in his political career. He won some and lost a few. But, the ongoing battle for the soul of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State seems to have placed his chequered political career on the cliffhanger. Other powerful power blocs in his party, especially those based in Abuja appear to have pulled the rug off his feet, judging by the outcome of the ward and local government congresses and the attendant intense political intrigues.
In the last few weeks, Okorocha embarked on trips to Abuja and especially Daura, in Katsina, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari for ‘rescue,’ as a close ally of the president. He has also reached out to a few persons he considers could be sympathetic to his travail within the APC national leadership. But his perceived adversaries have equally stepped up their game by trying to tighten the noose around his neck.
The crux of the matter, according to those forces, is his propensity to ride roughshod on other party stalwarts over major issues, the latest being his undisguised plan to impose his son-in-law as the APC candidate in the next poll in the state.
However, the travails of the governor also derive from his disposition towards a couple of APC top shots at the national level. He once engaged one of the influential figures in the APC in altercations over whether President Muhammadu Buhari should be given a blank cheque to re-contest in 2019 election. A few national officers also maintain a frosty relationship with the governor over the internal issues pertaining to the running of the party and perceived blind loyalty to the Presidency.
The protest against him heightened when the team from the APC national headquarters was swapped with that of Anambra State at the last minute without his inkling. His loyalists were also out-smarted by the allied forces when it was time to obtain nomination forms for the elective congresses. This has led to his opponents gloating that they had succeeded in neutralising or degrading the governor politically in the best interest of the party. “In his desperation, he ran to Sokoto, Daura and even to the Vice President, but help has refused to come,” one of the leaders said in a reaction to a petition written by the governor to the APC top echelon.
At a stage, police took over the secretariat of the party in Owerri, part of which was once set on fire by suspected hoodlums. The governor and his loyalists shunned the local government congress, which the APC state chairman, Mr Hillari Ekeh, said was hitch-free. In the midst of the blame game over the unending crisis, the governor declared: “The national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun had also told Nigerians that the local government congresses of the party would be on hold pending the outcome of the report of the Appeal panel on Imo ward congress. And since that public statement by the national chairman, he has not made any additional statement to that effect or any other statement in the contrary.” His optimism that the NCW would reverse the situation thinned when the party’s Appeal Committee ratified the ward and local government congresses in the state. In the report signed by committee chairman, Senator Abubakar Tutare, it claimed that those who wrote petition against the congress were unqualified. It added: “The congress committee presented video evidence to support its position that congress actually held in the state.”
Nonetheless, the core loyalists of the governor are lawmakers from the state. They solidarised with him through several ways, including the recent close-door meeting with the APC national chairman of the party, Odigie-Oyegun, The delegation of 24 legislators, led by the Speaker, Imo House of Assembly, Acho Ihim, claimed the governor remained the leader of the ruling party in the state. “We are here to reconfirm that there was no congress in all the general and certain wards in Imo State. We are here to reaffirm and demand that an announcement be made for a new date for the ward and local government congresses and we can now talk about the state congresses,” he said.
The crisis that erupted with the congress (APC) in Imo State chapter of the state, has taken another dimension, which resulted into gang up against the governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha with other top members of the party.
Their grievance against the Okorocha was as result of the Governor openly support of his son-in-law, Chief Uche Nwosu that married the first daughter. This, coupled with Governor’s pronouncement that he had retired some of politicians in the state, while the likes of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume was expected to be retired after 2019 general elections in the country.
Also in the list of gang up against him was his deputy, Eze Madumere who joined people like Senator Hope Uzodima, Sir Jude Ejiogu his former secretary to the state Government, whom he sacked from office, the former lmo speaker in the state house of Assembly, now Senator Benjamine Uwujimogu whom he helped to win lmo North senatorial district.
Others against the Governor political wish are Tobias Ekechi his former commissioner for information and strategy, Chief Osita Izunazo who is the national organising secretary of APC, others numerous to mention in the battle to ensure they dismantle the Governor political structure in the state.
Their efforts, according to reliable source from the group was to ensure that the Governor wish of bring his son in-law of being the standard bearer of APC in the state did not materialised.
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They argued that how can the Governor ruled the state for 8 years at the end of his tenor, he hand over power to his son inlaw, as if the political power belong to the family alone, adding that the rest of lmo people were fools.
Reacting to this statement Governor Okorocha said that there is nothing wrong for him to assist his son-in law to be the Governor of the state after him.
According to the Governor Okorocha, the Saraki family dominates politics of Kwara State; what about Chief Sam Mbakwe, late governor of lmo State, whose son contested the governorship seat after his father had ruled the state for years.
“What of the United States of America (USA) where Nigeria copied the presidential system of Government, the country is practicing now, where the bush family ruled USA for years. What about Bill Clinton in American, where the man after ruling USA for 8 years and his wife Hilary Clinton narrowly lost the presidential seat to Donald Trump.
“What about in the Asian continent, particularly in the India where the family of a Ghandhi dominated the India politics and ruled the people of India for years. If the almighty God has destined that my son-in-law would be the governor of the state, there is nothing they can do about it.”
The ward congress of APC and that of local government that has not triggered the crisis have deepened the crisis more in the state with the governor insisting that there was no congress in lmo state, while those fighting against the Governor maintained that the congress of ward and local government areas have come and gone with the result sheets of the elections have been submitted at appropriate quarters at Abuja. The chairman of the party in the state, Chief Hilary Eke even confirmed that the congresses were held in the state freely and fairly. What the group is talking about for now is about state and national congresses, adding those talking about earlier congresses are wasting their time because APC members in lmo have passed that stage.
and then