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Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha on Thursday said President Muhammadu Buhari must go through the All Progressive Congress primaries if he wants a second term, as President in 2019.
Okorocha’s position appears to however contradict the position of other most Governors elected on the platform of the APC, many of who are routing for an automatic ticket for the President, ahead of the 2019 Presidential race.
Okorocha who met with the President at the Presidential Villa, said the party has a democratic arrangement that allows for a level playing field for its candidates to emerge, adding that the President must go through party primaries to avoid imposition of candidates.
“The gentleman is looking much more handsome than even before he went to hospital; he is looking stronger and so, he has every right and qualifications to re-contest, there is nothing wrong at all.
But, we don’t allow imposition of candidate. It must be democratically done. If President Buhari will lead the ship in 2019, it must be democratically done, and I said, democratically done, transparently (done) to the amazement of the whole world, the way we do our things in APC and people will be happy,’’
He expressed the hope that membership of the APC in the South East would continue to increase as many politicians had been joining the party in recent times.
He revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari will soon embark on tour of South Eastern states beginning with Ebonyi, others include Imo and Anambra on the first leg of his tour, even as he added that he was at the Presidential Villa, as part of plans and strategies to improve the relationship between the people of South East and the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government.
Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo disclosed this when he spoke to State House correspondents on the outcome of his closed door meeting with President Buhari in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.
He stated that the President would start the visit to states in the South East with Ebonyi, Imo and Anambra respectively.
“The South East before now was not measuring in APC , but we have worked out strategies and modalities on how to improve relationship between the people of South East and APC government and that was top on the agenda and the need for Mr President to come to South East as quickly as possible, to begin to show his presence.
“Luckily, the President will be coming to Ebonyi state, very soon, and he will pass through Imo state to Anambra state.
“So, covering three states within this short time will be right step in the right direction, because we have come to realise in the south east that we are better off in APC than any other party in the federal republic of Nigeria,’’
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
