By Chinonso Alozie Owerri—The Imo State All Progressives Congress, APC, caretaker committee chairman, Marcellenius Nlemigbo, yesterday pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to caution Governor Rochas Okorocha over the manner he has been pursuing his 2023 presidential ambition.
Nlemigbo spoke to newsmen in Owerri at the APC secretariat along Okigwe road, while reacting to Okorocha’s statement that he was suspended from APC because of his 2023 presidential ambition. He added that Okorocha was using Buhari’s name to cause disaffection among party members in the state just to curry favour from the presidency to win the governorship seat for his preferred successor who in turn would back his 2023 presidential ambition. The APC chairman said it was too early for Okorocha to start talking of 2023 presidency, wondering how a governor who was finding it difficult to win his senatorial ambition is thinking of going for presidency. According to Nlemigbo, “The problem with Governor Okorocha is that he is playing god. He has been using the name of the President to commit a lot of havoc, boasting that he controls the President and the Imo State Commissioner of Police. “He was shocked when he was suspended by the party and it was even more laughable when he claimed that the President was not aware of his suspension and we wonder whether Okorocha thinks our dear President is a member of AA. “You can see his flimsy excuse that Comrade Oshiomhole, the national chairman of our party suspended him due to 2023 presidential ambition.” The APC said it was worried that, “This is a governor who cannot even win an election in his own senatorial district despite being a sitting governor and today, he is involved in a very controversial exercise due to the way and manner he was declared winner. Yet, he is talking about 2023 presidency just to seek attention when President Buhari is yet to commence his second term. “We are not surprised that everything about Okorocha is his ambition. That is why he wants his entire family to govern Imo State. He should be ashamed of himself because he has reduced the office of a governor to that of a sychophant, always seeking attention.” Nlemigbo’s leadership alleged that, “Okorocha is planning to use thugs and security agents to force the Returning Officer to announce his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu winner of Imo governorship election, the same way and manner he declared himself winner of the senatorial election. But Imo people will resist him and I pray Okorocha’s inordinate ambition does not plunge the state into bloodshed.” I’ve sacked Oshiomhole —Okorocha Meantime, Governor Rochas Okorocha, said he has sacked Adams Oshiomhole, chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for anti-party activities. Reacting to his suspension from the ruling party by the national working committee (NWC) of the party led by Oshiomhole, Okorocha said the chairman lacked the power to suspend him. He said as a founder of the APC, he could say authoritatively that Oshiohmole was involved in anti-party activities. He spoke on Sunday Politics, a programme on Channels Television. “I just heard from media reports that I have been suspended from the party. I think Adams is seeking relevance and attention,” he said. “He doesn’t have such powers to remove somebody without following due process. I think Adams is the biggest player of anti-party in APC. The man has destroyed the party to a great extent. “So, I have sacked him from the party. If he thinks he can just stand up and say he has suspended me from the party I founded, without following the due process, in the same manner, I have sacked him from the party.” He accused Oshiomhole of imposing Hope Uzodinma, APC guber candidate in Imo on the party. “The candidate that Oshiohmole imposed on the party in Imo State lost his votes for the Presidential election and all the members of the coalition in Imo State worked for PDP,” he said.
source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/03/imo-apc-accuses-okorocha-of-destroying-party-for-2023-ambition/
