2019: Imo APC youths say no to endorsement of Okorocha's son in-law

The endorsement of Uche Nwosu, Chief of Staff to the Imo State Government by Governor Rochas Okorocha on Monday is presently brewing crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo as various youth groups on Tuesday distanced themselves from the said endorsement.

Okorocha had said on Monday that Nwosu has all the qualities to succeed him in 2019, a development the youths have rejected and called for free and fair primaries of the APC to choose who will fly the party’s flag in 2019.

Some of the groups : Imo Youth Council, the Agenda Vanguard (AV), Imo Youth Enlightenment Organisation (IYEO), Rochas Youth Alliance (RYA), APC Youth Vanguard (APCYV), Youth Equity Group (YEG), APC Youth League (APCYL) and the Imo Youths Agenda (IYA), on Tuesday angrily stormed out of a meeting organised by the Special Adviser to Governor Okorocha on Youth Affairs, Kenneth Emelu at the Imo Youth Centre to lobby for their support for the governor’s anointed successor.

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Addressing a press conference shortly at the Imo Concord Hotel, the State Commander, AV, comrade Ibeawuchi Nwannaeri who spoke on behalf of the groups said that APC would only support a candidate who emerges through a credible party primary, irrespective of the zone .

Although, Nwannaeri described Nwosu as a good candidate for the position but he maintained that the party’s interest should be paramount.

“We don’t want to make mistakes, youths of Imo does not support endorsement of an individual , Nwosu is a youth and a good man ,but the interest of the party should be paramount, no matter what, be it Madumere, Nwosu, Ololo or Ejiogu, what we are saying is that they should emerge through the party primary,” Nwannaeri said.

Similarly, a stakeholder of the party, and a former Commissioner for Information, Chief Vitalis Ajumbe while reacting to the endorsement by Okorocha said that their is nothing wrong in the governor endorsing any candidate, but noted that he has no right to determine who becomes his successor in 2019.

He added that the right to choose who becomes the next governor of the State should be determined by the electorate.

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“Governor Okorocha has the right to support any candidate, but has no right to determine who becomes the governor, it is left for the electorates to decide.

“If he thinks endorsing his son-in-law would make him the governor, he is deceiving himself, it only shows that Okorocha wants to come back for a third term through the back door,” Ajumbe said.

Meanwhile, trouble of high magnitude broke out when the youths demanded their share of N10 million from Hon. Emelu allegedly budgeted to secure their endorsements only to receive a paltry N1,500 each.

The angry youths reached for their pound of flesh from the unsettled Emelu but for the timely intervention of security agents.

No fewer than 10 APC youths sustained injuries as majority of aggrieved ones totally rejected Okorocha’s son-in-law. They described him as arrogant, a misfit and a money-miss-road whose stock in trade is fun seeking.