Governor Rochas Okorocha, yesterday, gave a hint that his son-in-law and former Chief of Staff, Uche Nwosu, will vie for the Imo State governorship on the platform of another party.
Nwosu, who is also a governorship contender of the APC, and others who did not make it during the recent primary elections, would most likely quit the ruling party for another to pursue their ambitions.
Okorocha said he would not stop any of his aggrieved loyalists from defecting.
Our correspondent gathered that no fewer than 27 members of the Imo State House of Assembly and National Assembly candidates, including Nwosu, who felt aggrieved from the conduct the APC primaries, may be heading to another party before the substitution window closes on December 1.
Okorocha said while he would support their aspirations elsewhere, he remained in APC and would contest the Orlu senatorial election under the party.
The governor, however, maintained that Nwosu and all the aggrieved candidates remained his choices and would get his support under any platform they chose to realise their ambitions.
Okorocha, speaking at a media parley in Owerri, said Nwosu under whatever platform remained his preferred governorship candidate, describing the emergence of the APC governorship candidate, Senator Hope Uzodinma, as “the worst imposition in Nigerian political history.”
But the Imo governor reassured President Muhammadu Buhari that his followers would deliver him at the presidential election and vowed to deal with any of them who disobeyed him.
According to him, “What will happen is that while they move to realise their ambition under any other platform, I remain in APC and support them. Such parties will have no presidential candidate, but will adopt President Muhammadu Buhari as their candidate.
“What we saw in Imo APC was a clear case of injustice and the worst imposition in history. The party members are aggrieved and they will be moving to another party to pursue their ambitions and I am not going to stop them, but we are going to form alliance with whichever party they choose to deliver President Buhari.
“In the 2019 general elections, we are going to vote for candidates and not political parties. I am in the best position to assess the candidates and I know that among all the governorship candidates, Nwosu remains the best. I have told Imo people to check the records of those clamouring to govern the state before voting for them.
“What is happening in Imo APC is interesting and strange, a party known for uprightness, justice and fairness as exemplified by President Muhammadu Buhari, has been dented by the actions of the national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, for whatever reasons he is yet to disclose.
“I have been trying to manage the situation but I have no moral justification to stop the aggrieved candidates who felt short-changed from realizing their ambitions in any other party but I have not left APC and do not intend to leave APC. But you must realize that in Imo we don’t play party politics but politics of individuals. People did not join APC because of anybody but because of me,” he said.
Okorocha expressed regret that Imo people were short-changed by the three major political parties – APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) – in their choice of governorship candidates, saying that all of them were imposed on the people.
When Daily Trust sought the views of Nwosu on the comments of the governor, he was non-committal.
Nwosu, who was silent on his next line of action, however, gave assurance that he would mobilize all the aggrieved APC members to work for President Buhari’s victory in spite of any provocation.
He said the actions of the APC national chairman would not affect his support for President Muhammadu Buhari.
