- Araraume: We need to stop the governor from destroying Imo
Our Correspondents
Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, yesterday took a swipe at the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, accusing the duo and other top hierarchy of the party of conspiracy and engaging in fraudulent activities in the just concluded wards and local government congresses.
Okorocha, who pointedly accused the APC chairman of conniving with his political enemies in Imo State to derail him, promised to go the whole hog in exposing the corruption in the APC under Oyegun.
The governor hinted that the decisions taken under his watch as the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, where he opposed the tenure elongation of the APC National Working Committee (NWC), might have irked Oyegun, leading to his attempt to frustrate and truncate his political future using the ongoing congresses of the party.
He also lambasted the trio of Izunaso, Senator Hope Uzodimma and Senator Ben Uwajumogu for their alleged nefarious activities in dethroning him as the leader of the party in the state.
Speaking on efforts by the APC national chairman and his political ‘enemies’ to manipulate the congresses, Okorocha said: “I’m here to intimate you of the happenings in my state. Only yesterday, I learnt of the party’s office gutted by fire. I think this is as a result of agitation or what has been happening in the state as a result of the purported congress which was meant to hold in the state last Saturday.
“I have informed the public that there was no congress whatsoever in Imo State, rather, the materials for the congress were missing and it was traced to the house of the APC National Organising Secretary.
“We have informed the police and the security agencies that the materials were missing in the house of the national organising secretary and that have prompted a lot agitation.â€
The governor added that he personally went to Oyegun’s office and met with him, “and I did request from him the position and terms of this our congresses whether they have been cancelled or not.
“He was not categorical with his statement as to whether it was cancelled or not but said he was waiting for the appeal members. Fortunately, while there, the secretary of the appeal panel came to the national secretariat and she was interviewed where she said there was no congress in Imo State, adding that there was even no material not to talk about congress being held.
“She stated that those who submitted the result sheet should tell the security agencies how they conducted the congress and got the result sheet, only for us to hear today that no result is in the party’s office.â€
Okorocha accused the APC national chairman of lying, adding that “this means the party lied that they have gotten the result. Everything there looks funny, it looks like some kind of mischievous connivance of people trying to make up things, cook up stories and tell people that this is how I lie.
 “I see the chairman as a man of integrity, and he must be very careful not to allow this Imo State matter remove his integrity in this country, because as he’s aging, he should not to allow this to dent his political image as history would not write well about him. For him to come out publicly to tell the world that there was congress when there was no congress and that he has received result sheet when they have not seen result sheet, that is not good for our party.â€
He further accused the NWC of conducting the congresses for themselves rather than ensuring the promotion of the party.
Okorocha alleged that as a result of the vested interest of the NWC in the congresses, the whole process have been messed up.
Meanwhile, a governorship aspirant in Imo State, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, has said that ‘’all well-meaning citizens’’ in Imo State are in agreement to stop Okorocha from further destroying the state.
He stated this in Abuja yesterday in a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Mr. I k Ogbonna. According to him, “From the political class to the academic, from professionals to the clergy, the traditional institutions and even artisans in Imo State are in agreement, beyond partisan, sectional, religious and cultural boundaries to stop Okorocha from further destroying the state, economically, politically, culturally.
‘’In the last couple of months, Governor Okorocha has been raining abuses on every political leader of note in the state, including his predecessors, dead or alive.’’
According to the APC chieftain, the interest of strong political forces in the state that are determined to stop Okorocha goes beyond the allusions made by the governor.
‘’It is worth pointing out that by his statement, the governor has admitted that he is at war with the entire political class in the state. For instance, his inclusion of his two immediate predecessors, Governors Ikedi Ohakim and Achike Udenwa, as being members of a certain coalition that intends to distract him is a clear demonstration of this.
‘’Added to this is the fact that he is at loggerheads with his deputy and the two senators in his party. It was perhaps for want of proper language that the governor resorted to the use of the word coalition. But even a fresh man in a political science class knows that that the word coalition is a clear misnomer in the present circumstances in Imo State.’’
