Embattled Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Thursday berated the National Leader of the All Progressive Congress APC, Bola Tinubu for throwing his weight behind the party’s national Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.
Okorocha who is also the Chairman of the APC Governors Forum said it was wrong for Tinubu to have backed Oshiomohole, as over 5 million members have left the party since he ( Oshiomohole) became the party Chairman.
Speaking to State Houses Correspondents after meeting with President Muhammmadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Thursday, Okorocha however, absolved President Buhari from the crises rocking the party, saying that Oshiomohole had no backing of the Presidency for his actions
The party has been engulfed in several crises resulting from the recent party primaries, with aggrieved members blaming the National Working Committee of the party for inconsistencies in laying down rules and guidelines fir the primaries.
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They also accused the Adams Oshiomhole led NWC of imposition of candidates who are regarded as unpopular at the grassroots, an allegation the National Chairman has denied
According to Okorocha “ Haven just met the President, l can authoritatively tell you that the National Chairman does not have the backing of the Presidency in all that he is doing that is causing crises in the party”
Okorocha had stormed the Presidential Villa to protest rejection of his anointed candidate for the Imo gubernatorial election, Uche Nwosu
The visit was not unconnected with the decision by the APC national working Committee to substitute his preferred candidate and son – in law, Uche Nwosu, as the Imo state candidate of the APC.
The NWC of the party is said to have concluded plans to replace Nwosu with Hope Uzodinnma in preference for the Ahmed Gulak committee which had conducted and returned Hope Uzodinnma as the duly elected candidate.
The National Chairman of the APC Adams Oshiomhole while speaking with State House Correspondents on Wednesday had assured that the party will do what is right in handling the current crises rocking the party over the primaries
This is just as the Oshiomohole led NWC has also received the backing of the party’s national leader, Bola Tinubu
Tinubu said the party members surrendered their rights to the elected executives, to avoid conflict, to avoid domination, to avoid abuses of power.
“ we surrendered our rights, all rights to the National Working Committee headed by Adams Oshiomohole.”
“We agreed that the National Working Committee should set up electoral bodies to supervise various state congresses and elections. ‘We signed off for it’. So, if it is not in our individual favour, so be it. We gave three options, consensus, where there is no consensus because if you are more than two or three and you cannot agree to one candidate, you go to the next level”
