By Ahmed Idris
Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state said on Thursday that actions and inactions of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would cause the party five million members.
The governor said this while fielding questions from State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
“Oshiomhole must learn to respect the rule of law and obey court orders where they apply; this issue of court orders as tissue papers must stop; it does not reflect the image of our party. He must act quickly to fix the integrity of this party because his coming ought to have brought in joy into the party not sadness.’’ he said.
He said it was high time the national chairman of the party was called to order and made to respect the rule of law, do the right thing and respect court orders.
“He cannot stand on Hope Uzodinma because the gentleman did not win election; you cannot compare somebody who won 265,000 votes to somebody who won 7,000 votes. He did not; he never won the election and Oshiomhole cannot impose candidates unacceptable to people on the people.
“He should do the right thing before he creates more disaffection for our party; I do not think the National Working Committee (NWC) will not submit the name of Hope Uzodinma. In the first place, NWC sent a 13-man delegation who conducted election and 12 of them signed proving that Uche Nwosu won the election with 265,000 votes as against Hope who had less than 7,000 votes.
“He cannot do that and there is a letter to that effect from NWC saying Uche Nwosu won; there is a certificate of return given to Uche Nwosu; there is a police report saying Uche Nwosu; there is INEC report saying Uche Nwosu. Nobody can do that; and if they do that, that must be worst imposition in history,’’ he said.
Responding to remarks by the national leader of APC, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, that Oshiomhole was on the right track, Okorocha said the APC chieftain must have been ill-informed’.
He said if properly informed, Tinubu would not say that Oshiomhole is doing the right thing as chairman of the APC.
The governor also dismissed rumours that he was planning to defect from the All Progressives Congress over the fallout of the party’s governorship primaries in the state.
“How can I build a house and leave it for someone else? I am in APC; I founded APC; I gave the name APC and so this is our party and we continue with the party and build the party for victory.
“Oshiomhole is on his own in this whole thing; there is no presidency support for him to refuse those who won elections and give wrong candidates who did not win election. So, this is the matter and I will simply say it is not on the consent of the presidency; he is on his own,” he said.
The governor also told journalists that the APC would not disintegrate as long Buhari was still the President and leader of the party.
He said the party was still intact though many people were hurt.
