Stanley Uzoaru and George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Imo Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has advised the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole and governorship candidate of the party in the state, Senator Hope Uzodinma as well as their media aides to stop misquoting President Muhammadu Buhari
The president, during a rally, in Owerri, last week threw open his support for any candidate that will ensure the true cohesion of the country, while urging the people of the state to vote for candidates of their choice.
The rally, held Tuesday last week at Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri was attended by the supporters of the Action Alliance (AA) governorship candidate, Uche Nwosu and the supporters of the APC governorship candidate, Uzodinma.
However, Okorocha has claimed that Oshiomhole and the APCgovernorship candidate in the state, Uzodinma have been having sleepless nights over the president’s comment
Meanwhile, Imo PDP Liberation Coalition has described as deliberate falsehood, the claim by Uzodinma, that n- PDP members have defected to the APC in the state.
This was even as the group said Fabian Ihekweme and his members were not members of the PDP.
The group stated that the false claim by Uzodinma during APC presidential campaign rally held last Tuesday in Owerri was ostensibly to deceive both President Buhari and the gullible national leaders of the party, as no member of the PDP has defected to APC.
In statement issued at the weekend and signed by the Chairman, Chief Chijioke Adiele, Secretary, Fidelis Nwachukwu and Cosmos Anusiem, publicity secretary, respectively, stated thus:
“Ordinarily, we would have ignored such puerile statements from the embattled Senator Uzodinma, but for the fact that some unsuspecting members of the public may consider such to be true.
“Again, it was when the President had ended his speech and was about to return to his seat that Oshiomhole reminded him that he was expected to handover the party’s flag to his preferred governorship candidate, Chief Uzodinma and the President turned and said “okay, take the flag.” This, “okay, take the flag” also spoke volume.
Since then, the handlers of Oshiomhole and Uzodinma have been planting and sponsoring stories to see how they could reduce the devastating effects of the President’s speech on the side of Uzodinma and his ambition. They have not succeeded and won’t succeed.
In case some people have forgotten, President Buhari is not the first President who has told Imo people, especially members of his own political party not to vote for the governorship candidate of his party for certain obvious reasons. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, when he was president, also did the same thing in Imo in 2007.
Obasanjo was equally on campaign rally for the late Yar’dua. And he told PDP members in the State not to vote for the party’s governorship candidate. And they obeyed that directive at the appropriate time. The reason for which Obasanjo told Imo PDP members not to vote for the party’s governorship candidate would be a child’s play if compared with the reasons President Buhari told APC members in Imo to vote for the governorship candidate of their choice no matter the political party the person belongs.
“You hardly can see anybody in this country, who has not read or seen or heard about the disturbing or worrisome cases the APC governorship candidate in Imo is involved in, with one being the same case for which the Chief Justice of the Federation has been suspended and being put on trial. He is also among those banned from travelling outside the country.
Chief Uzodinma should face his numerous trials including those on non-declaration of assets, issuance of dud cheque, failed contract, etal. We cannot reward him or encourage him to skip these trials with the governorship of the state. God would forbid that. Imo people cannot do that.
The President had hit the nail on the head in Owerri. And the efforts by Oshiomhole and Uzodinma’s media couriers towards reducing the weight of what the President said, have become, to say the least, efforts in futility because Nigerians are not daft, but intelligent people,” Governor Okorocha said.