- Imo gov wants to create Rochas political dynasty –Oshiomhole
Finally, the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday laid to rest on the speculations of who flies the governorship candidates of the party in Imo and Ogun States. The APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who briefed journalists in Abuja, said the names of Senator Hope Uzodinma and Mr. Dapo Abiodun, were submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its governorship candidates for Imo and Ogun States respectively. The chairman also berated the two governors for the wide allegations and accusations against him. Governors Ibukunle Amosun and Rochas Okorocha have been having a running battle with the APC National Chairman over their candidates, Adekunle Akinlade and Uche Nwosu respectively, for governorship tickets in their states. According to Oshiomhole, Amosun is acting like an Emperor in the state, while he accused his counterpart in Imo State, Rochas Okorocha of trying to build political dynasty.
Tracing the incident in Ogun State, he said: “Amosun is an Emperor. He is asking for an unlawful thing.” Speaking on Imo State and the decision to submit Uzodinma’s name as the candidate of the party in Imo State, he said that the National Working Committee (NWC) decided to adopted the result of the Ahmed Gulak Committee, which declared Uzodinma as the winner of the governorship primaries conducted on October 1.
He went further to state that the Imo State governor said that they should obey court orders and their decision to submit Uzodinma’s name was in line with court order. He said: “In the case of Imo state, NWC has met and we have upheld the result of the Gulak committee and we have prepared the name of Sen. Uzodinma to be submitted to the INEC.
“If governor Rochas chose to relocate to tne Villa and use the ground of Villa to try to intimidate me to create a dynasty I will even on one leg uphold truth in the best interest of APC members and indeed of APC people in Imo State. “Yesterday, I watched Rochas saying I should obey court orders. In this country, memories fail people.
The primaries conducted by my predecessor did not favour him and we did the right thing and he was favoured. What he wants is for me to create Rochas political dynasty in Imo where Rochas will be Senatorial candidate and his son in-law Uche Nwosu to be the governorship candidate. “We have reviewed the Gulak committee report and upheld the report by submitting the name of Hope Uzodimma as the candidate of party in Imo state. Rochas personal battle with the catholics or Christian community is his private business and we cannot allow ourselves to be dragged into such battle. “Rochas obtained a temporary order, ex-parte.
We have also received a court order from the chief judge of Imo state. That order directs me not to have anything to do with any repeat primaries. We shall not have anything to do with the primaries that produced Uche Nwosu.” While explaining how Amosun went against the primary process, Oshiomhole revealed that the governor had called him to say that he was going to adopt consensus option but he rejected it, insisting on direct primary. “Governor Amosun decided that him and his preffer aspirant will not participate in the primaries organised by the Working Committee and even tried to withdraw the security that was necessary for the primary panel. “At a stakeholders’ meeting, governor Amosun decided to introduce the third element which didn’t feature in the resolution of the NEC, announced that Ogun state was going to adopt consensus and he proceded to define what in his view constitute consensus. “He announced somebody as the consensus governor, he proceeded to announce another man as as the deputy governor, he went on to proclaim as the next Senator and he said the current serving senator, Tejuoso should step aside.
“He also went on to announce that the second senator also from Ogun state will step aside while another man will come in. Governor Amosun went on to announce another man who will be the next speaker, and another one as the next deputy speaker. “He also singlehandedly pronounced that of the eight House of Representatives members, seven will not return according to him, only one will return. All these he claimed is a consensus.
“However, Ogun state governor decided in his wisdom to conduct its own self help, I mean resulting to what you can call self help by conducting what he called his own primary. “The Secretary to Ogun state government became the Chief Returning Officer and I and other NWC members were watching the Channels Television and we saw the Secretary to Ogun State Government proclaiming himself as tbe returning officer, and purported to have conducted primary.” The National Chairman however said that the party would abide by Supreme Court ruling in as regards the Rivers State APC and would wait for the outcome of the court case as regards to Zamfara State. “On Zamfara State, we have asked our lawyers to write INEC because INEC cannot on its own award a whole state to People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and disenfranchised our people. We trust that the rule of law will prevail as we have confidence in the judiciary and INEC.” He assured Nigerians that his party will defeat the candidate of the opposition People Democratic Party (PDP) in the next year presidential election. “We will defeat Atiku the way we have defeated him before,” he said.
.new telegraph