Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha says the ruling All Progressives Congress has already lost over five million prospective votes due to the leadership style of the party’s National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
Okorocha, who made the accusations shortly after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday said Oshiomole’s actions were personal and without the president’s support.
The governor who had voiced his bitterness at the outcome of the party primaries in Imo State said he discovered that Oshiomole’s illegal actions were without the support of President Buhari.
He said he realized that Oshiomhole was never instructed to replace or substitute candidates who won primary elections with others who did not, urging the National Chairman to respect the rule of law and obey court orders.
His words: “This issue of treating court orders as tissue papers must stop. It doesn’t reflect the image of our party. Oshiomhole must act quickly to fix the integrity of this party because his coming in ought to have brought joy into the party and not sadness.”
He stressed that despite his grievances against Oshiomhole and the APC, the party would not disintegrate as long as President Buhari remained its leader.
“APC will not disintegrate for as long as the person, Muhammadu Buhari is still the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and remains the leader of this party. We cannot give that credit to the chairman.
“He cannot disintegrate this party. The party is still intact. It’s just that many people are hurt. Since his inception and after these primaries, we are losing almost five million voters because of anger, protest everywhere and he needs to be called to order.
“He has to respect the rule of law, respect court orders and do the right thing. Obey court orders where applicable and not turn himself into INEC,” he lamented.
On the outcome of the party primaries in Imo, Okorocha said it was not possible for Oshiomhole or the party to replace his son in-law, Uche Nwosu with Senator Hope Uzodinma as the party’s gubernatorial flag bearer in the state.
“He (Oshiomhole) cannot be standing on Hope Uzodinma because that man did not win election. You cannot compare somebody who won 265,000 votes with somebody who won 7,000 votes.
“He (Hope Uzodinma) never won election and you cannot impose a candidate who is unacceptable to the people on the people.
“That is how serious the matter is now. So, he should do the right thing and I have advised him many times to do the right thing before he creates more disaffections in our party,” he stressed.
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