By Samuel Itsede
Embattled Governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha has predicted doom for the ruling All Progressives Congress, if it fails to carry the south east geopolitical zone along in the current political dispensation.
Okorocha who was apparently reacting to developments in the Senate and House of Representatives, where Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabimila have been favoured by the party as successors of Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara in the ninth National Assembly, respectively.
The governor who is still under suspension from the party, owing to alleged anti-party activities, gave the opinion after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House on Monday.
“I have been watching carefully what is happening in the National Assembly, it’s a very intriguing drama. But all I ask of them is that they should consider the South East in their calculations.
“This nation will not be properly balanced if South East is not carried along properly in the affairs of the National Assembly. Nobody seems to be talking about the South East, it looks like the South East doesn’t have a place anymore, that is wrong, politically speaking and that is not good for APC. Because there is going to be a bigger APC after President Muhammadu Buhari must have left the seat.
“My fear now is that APC might have a serious set back in 2023 because the Oshiomhole’s led executive is actually turning APC into a regional minority party which shouldn’t be because of his mistakes.
“Right now in the whole of South East, we don’t have an APC governor. So if there is any discussion in Nigeria now within the APC governors and President Muhammadu Buhari, there would be nobody from the South East. This is what the APC chairman has done in the South East.
” I think it’s a calculated attempt to frustrate the efforts of the South East but I appeal to every Nigerian to support the cause of the South East – their cause are germane and it should be supported in whatever position that is due them. They shouldn’t think about giving South East, whatever position for giving sake. You can’t just wake up and give them any position. South East is a key primary zone in this country and if we don’t get the number one seat, we should get the number two seat, “the Imo Governor stated.
Commenting on seizure of his certificate of return by the Independent National Electoral Commission, he said the electoral umpire was merely making things difficult for itself as he sees no reason why they should withhold his certificate.
According to him, the returning officer who said he declared him winner under duress couldn’t have done so in the absence of DSS, Police and other security officials.
Asked if he was at the villa to seek President Buhari’s intervention in the certificate issuance crisis, he said, “I don’t think that would have been necessary to do because, it’s a straight forward matter.
“INEC conducted election, results were declared – the returning officer declared the results and I won. Only, one week later to hear that somebody write a petition that he issued that declaration under duress. I say where? Was it in his private house or was it in the collation Centre? If it was the collation Centre, were there no SSS, police, and international observers, INEC officials and many others.
“So who actually put him under duress? The man has not been able to say that. Nobody has ever sent a statement about that but I think INEC would want to do the right thing very very soon.
“As it stands today, I am just waiting patiently for the release of my certificate of return for election that I duly won, and I am hoping that INEC will release my certificate of return. I have not contravened any section of the constitution and I have not done anything wrong not to be given my certificate. I pray and hope INEC would do what is just and what is right”.
He also blamed his travails and that of the APC on the party chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, saying he(Chairman) took it upon himself to fight him for no tangible cause.
He said, “Of course, you know the imposition we suffered in the party. When you say the party, you talk about the leadership of that party, it’s not the party. I don’t have problem with the Working Committee of that party, I only have problem with the chairman of the party, he took it upon himself to do the wrong thing against me for just no cause and to fight a battle that he can never win.
“I know he is the one that is behind all these impositions, can you imagine, as I speak to you the APC candidate in Imo State did not win a seat, APC does not have a councilor in Imo State now, it does not even have a House Member.
“But the AA candidate has eight seats in the Imo State House of Assembly, two Federal House and they have one senator about to come to the senate. This is why internal democracy must be respected, let the will of the people prevail rather than this imposition.
“It is unfortunate what has happened in Imo State. At least, I have been vindicated for the fact that I said the APC candidate they are imposing on Imo people is not popular, he came from the opposition. For the first time, APC doesn’t have a seat in Imo State. When I was the leader of the party, when I was running the affairs of the party, we won 24 seats in the House of Assembly, we have governor, federal house members but today APC does not have because of imposition”.
Okorocha also poked holes on the victory of Emeka Ihedioha, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, saying there has to be a rerun of the polls.
He said the election was rigged in favour of Ihedioha despite the fact that he couldn’t score at least 25 percent in two third of the local government areas.
His words, “in the same vain, the governorship candidate of PDP never won that election because the election flouted section 179 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which says that you must have the highest votes and you must have 25 percent in two third of the local governments.
“Now, this gentleman who was declared the winner by the same INEC, had 135,000 votes from 24 local government but had over 130,000 votes from his three local governments. Of course you know, he didn’t win that election. But even at that, we had the highest mark, the Returning Officer of INEC was never patient to even calculate to know that it was 200,000 votes where there is supposed to be a rerun. Also flouting that basic Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria which says you must have 25 percent in two-third, he doesn’t have it.
“So, as far as I am concerned, there will be a rerun in Imo State and the Prof that did that should either be de-robed as a professor and he should be charged for that serious offense of not respecting the Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.
“What this means is that someday, one crazy person might just walk on the street and take one mad man, give him result sheet and declare him winner even if the man did not belong to a party. And we are getting to that stage in this country that once you are declared, you are declared. This is the crazy thing that is happening in Imo State and also it happened in Okigwe zone where a loser ran away with the result sheet.
“The person came fifth, and is trying to return himself. Up till now as I speak to you the Okigwe senatorial seat has not been declared. I don’t know what INEC is waiting for because the man who won the election they could not declare him. Now the person who ran with the result sheet, and the Prof ran away to the US, he is not back. So there is a stalemate everywhere, I think INEC should revisit Imo matter”.
