The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has attacked the Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, and that of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, calling them “emperors.”
Addressing a press conference on Friday in Abuja, Mr Oshiomhole, reacting to comments made by both governors on the outcome of APC primaries, specifically described Mr Okorocha as “an embarrassment” to the APC.
Mr Okorocha on Thursday, after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari, said the party chairman is destroying the party with his method of handling party primaries.
Mr Amosun similarly attacked the party chairman accusing him of injustice and fraud in relation to the APC primaries held in Ogun.
On Friday, Mr Oshiomhole accused both governors of imposition of candidates in their respective states.
In the case of Imo State, Mr Oshiomhole declared that the “NWC has met and we have upheld the result of the Gulak committee and we have prepared the name of Hope (Uzodinma) to be submitted to the INEC.
“If Governor Rochas chose to relocate to the (Presidential) Villa and use the ground of Villa to try to intimidate me to create a dynasty, I will – even on one leg but powered by the truth – uphold the best interest of APC members and indeed of APC people in Imo State.”
Explaining the situation in Ogun State, he said Mr Amosun went against the primary process. The chairman said the governor had called him to say that the Ogun APC was going to adopt consensus option, but he rejected it, insisting on direct primary.
“Governor Amosun decided that him and his prefered aspirant will not participate in the primaries organised by the working committee and even tried to withdraw the security that was necessary for the primary panel.
“At a stakeholders’ meeting, Governor Amosun decided to introduce the third element which didn’t feature in the resolution of the NEC, announced that Ogun State was going to adopt consensus and he proceeded to define what in his view constitute consensus.
“He announced somebody as the consensus governor, he proceeded to announce another man as the deputy governor, he went on to proclaim (himself) as the next senator and he said the current serving senator, Tejuoso, should step aside.
“He also went on to announce that the second senator also from Ogun State will step aside while another man will come in. Governor Amosun went on to announce another man who will be the next speaker, and another one as the next deputy speaker. He also singlehandedly pronounced that of the eight House of Representatives members, seven will not return. According to him, only one will return. All these he claimed is a consensus.
“However, Ogun State governor decided in his wisdom to conduct his own self help, I mean resulting to what you can call self help by conducting what he called his own primary. The Secretary to Ogun State Government became the Chief Returning Officer and I and other NWC members were watching the Channels Television and we saw the Secretary to Ogun State Government proclaiming himself as the returning officer, and purported to have conducted primary.”
Despite the crises in his party, however, Mr Okorocha says he believes his party will win next year’s elections.
The national chairman, who has been accused of mishandling the party, assured Nigerians that his party will defeat the candidate of the main opposition People Democratic party (PDP) in next year’s presidential election.
“We will defeat Atiku the way we have defeated him before,” he said.
