Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha on Thursday, told his counterpart, the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, and Senator Godswill Akpabio that the crisis rocking the APC in the state was irreconcilable.
Okorocha, who spoke in Owerri when the APC reconciliation committee headed by Ganduje visited Imo State, said, “Adams Oshiomhole single-handedly meted out grave injustice to the Imo APC members.”
The Imo governor alleged that despite making Oshiomhole the national chairman of the APC, he “stole the mandate of Imo people.”
Okorocha said no state had suffered the kind of injustice Oshiomhole allegedly meted out to the Imo APC members.
He said that despite the provocation, he would remain in the APC and ensure the electoral victory of Buhari.
He stated, “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. We moved from APGA to the 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 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 that of 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.”
He added, “Let me make bold to say that this is not about the people here but across the length and breadth of the state. All the speculations that I am leaving APC are not true. 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.”
Ganduje said that the first task of the committee had been achieved as it had got the assurances of Okorocha that he would remain in the party and would work for the re-election of Buhari in 2019.
The APC governorship candidate, Senator Hope Uzodinma, and Uche Nwosu, who Okorocha was backing, stayed away from the peace parley which had many party members in attendance.
Although he had not announced it, it was gathered that Nwosu and members of the Imo State House of Assembly had left the APC for the DPP.
When contacted, the APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, said the party would await the report of the Peace and Reconciliation Committee before taking any decision.
While expressing surprise about the defection, he said the party would work to ensure the development would not cause any tension among members.
“It is still early to comment about that. The party would wait for the report of the Peace and Reconciliation Committee before taking any decision. But we believe the matter can still be resolved as one family.”
