The crisis in the South-east zone of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) took another turn on Monday as one of the leaders
of the party in the zone, Osita Okechukwu, said Imo State Governor Rochas
Okorocha can leave the party if he so desires.
The upheaval is particularly serious in Imo
where local party leaders are up in arms against the governor over the control
of the party in the state.
In the series of congresses that led to the
constitution of a new state executive for the party in the state, the governor
and his adversaries held parallel elections with the national secretariat
endorsing the leadership produced by the group opposed to Mr Okorocha.
Addressing journalists before the inauguration
of state chairmen of the party at the APC national secretariat in Abuja on
Monday, Mr Okechukwu, who was appointed Director-General of Voice of Nigeria
(VON) by President Muhammadu Buhari, said the actions and inaction of Mr
Okorocha caused APC setback in the last four years in the South-east region.
According to Mr Okechukwu, the recent
development where the governor’s camp lost in the party’s congresses followed a
plan to reposition the APC to win elections in the South-east.
The governor is displeased over congresses held
in the state, leading to speculations he may leave the party as his efforts to
get it to overrule his local opponents failed.
The governor has, however, assured he will
remain with the APC.
But Mr Okechukwu declared on Monday that
without Mr Okorocha, the party will win the 2019 general elections, including
parliamentary seats and governorship seats in the South-east.
“At least there are more than 60 political
parties now, Okorocha is free to join any of his choice. Though, we are not
forcing him to leave, what we are saying is we have taken the leadership out of
his hands because he was playing God,” he told the journalists.
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