The
Action Alliance (AA), a party formed by Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State
14 years ago, has adopted Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party as its
presidential candidate in the February 16 election.
The national chairman of the party, Kenneth
Udeze, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on Monday.
“We are for Atiku/Obi leadership and we are
glad to work with all believers of true federalism and efficient administration
of governance at all levels to accomplish this as we approach the forthcoming
elections,” Mr Udeze said.
“The National Executives Committee (NEC) of our
party are on the same page concerning our support for Atiku, same with all our
state chapters in this matter.
“We hereby restate out position through this
medium that AA as a certified and active member of the Coalition of United
Political Parties (CUPP) have not for a moment reconsidered or wished to alter
that position.
“For your information, AA moved the motion for
the adoption of Atiku as the Presidential Candidate of CUPP, and we are on it
to the end,” he said.
The national chairman said the support for Mr
Abubakar and his running mate, Peter Obi, was a support for the growth of the
country’s democracy and the required restructuring of the country.
Mr Okorocha formed the AA in 2005 and planned
to run for president on its platform in the 2007 elections.
He was a founding member of the PDP on whose
platform he ran for the governorship primary in Imo State in 1999 but lost to
Achike Udenwa who flew the flag of the party.
He later dumped the PDP for the defunct All
Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) where he was a presidential aspirant in 2003.
After a
few years in ANPP, Mr Okorocha floated the AA where he hoped to actualise his
presidential ambition, but in a dramatic move abandoned the new party to return
to the PDP.
While in PDP, he showed interest in the 2007
presidential race and ran for the primary. He emerged runner up to the winner,
former President Umaru Yar’Adua.
In September 2007, Mr Okorocha unsuccessfully
aspired to become the national chairman of the then ruling party.
He later defected to the All Progressives Grand
Alliance (APGA) on whose platform he ran for governor in Imo State in 2011 and
won, beating the incumbent, Ikedi Ohakim of the PDP.
Ahead of the 2015 election, the governor again
dumped APGA for the newly-formed All Progressives Congress (APC) following the
successful merger of three other opposition parties and a section of APGA which
he led.
In APC, he also attempted to become its
presidential candidate but was beaten alongside others by President Muhamadu
Buhari at the party’s primary in Lagos in 2014. Mr Okorocha came a distant
fourth having mustered only 624 votes.
While Mr Okorocha sojourned in PDP and APGA he
managed to keep AA afloat and the party became handy.
When APC refused to name his son in-law, Uche
Nwosu, its governorship candidate for the March 2 election, Mr Nwosu moved to
AA where, without contest, he was accepted and adopted as its flag bearer in
the March 2 election.
The APC snub has pitted the governor against
the national leadership of the ruling party with both sides often exchanging
verbal punches in the past months.
Mr Okorocha, who is the candidate of the APC
for the Imo West senatorial District, is believed to have facilitated Mr
Nwosu’s defection to AA.
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