Despite recent denials by the embattled Governor of Imo State of his purported suspension from the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state, the party’s national leadership might have begun a search for a new chairman of the party’s Governors’ Forum, The Point’s investigations have revealed.
This development follows the recommendation of the Marcellius Nlemigbo-led state Caretaker Committee to the National Working Committee of the party that the governor, whose alleged anti-party activities, are becoming a source of worry to the party leaders, be expelled from the party.
The state chapter of the party had alleged that the anti-party activities of the governor, in recent times, and his open support for his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, who is the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance against Senator Hope Uzodinma, who is the APC governorship candidate in the state, was capable of undermining the electoral chances of the party in the coming elections, if the governor was not checked.
The Point gathered that following this, the National leadership had lined up some disciplinary steps to be taken against him, including removing the governor as the chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum.
It was learnt at the weekend that the National Working Committee would likely uphold the recommendation of the state chapter to expel the governor from the party as there were overwhelming evidences to show that the governor “is not working for the interest of APC in the state.”
A reliable source at the party secretariat disclosed that the governor had also been dropped as the APC senatorial candidate in Imo West.
It was, however, not clear who the party leadership has chosen to replace the governor, but it was gathered that the party might be considering supporting the former APC Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, who is the All Progressives Grand Alliance senatorial candidate in the zone for the seat as it would be easy to woo him back to APC.
“We have decided to drop the governor for the senatorial seat for Imo West; that is all I can tell you,” the source said.
The source disclosed that the action was taken to stop the governor from further embarrassing the entire party. He said that the leadership was not happy with the governor’s action at the South East APC women/youths rally, held last week at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri, where the governor insisted that Nwosu, the Governorship candidate of the Action Alliance, remained their candidate and not Uzodinma.
A source told our correspondent that the governor’s comment, which allegedly ignited a clash between the supporters of the two candidates, led to a shootout, which sent the Vice President’s wife, Dolapo Osinbajo, who represented the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, and other dignitaries at the event, scampering for safety.
It was learnt that the leaders of the party in the state, last Tuesday, met to deliberate on the issue at the party secretariat, along Okigwe road, where they later set up a disciplinary committee, headed by Matthew Omegara and Secretary, Kevin Ugwu, to look into the action of the governor.
It was gathered that Governor Okorocha, who was summoned, last Wednesday, to appear before the disciplinary committee set up by the state chapter of the party, however, failed to honour the invitation.
The committee chairman, Omegara, told our correspondent that the committee was also investigating the activities of the party’s candidate for Imo East Senatorial District, Mr. Emma Ojinere; House of Representatives candidate for Ezinihitte Mbaise/Ahiazu Mbaise Federal Constituency, Mr. Rapheal Igbokwe; Ehime Mbano/Ihitte Uboma/Obowo Federal Constituency candidate, Mr. Chike Okafor; state Deputy Speaker, Mr. Ugonna Ozuruigbo; Mr. Eddy Iheanacho and a gubernatorial aspirant, Mr. Obinna Mbata, with a view to taking “severe disciplinary action” against them.
He said that the utterances of the governor, apart from ridiculing the party, embarrassed the First Lady, represented by the wife of the Vice President, adding that Okorocha was invited to appear before the committee to explain his anti-party activities, but that he did not show up.
“We invited the governor but he failed to honour our invitation. We, therefore, made our recommendations to the state working committee after our investigations. The governor’s utterances were aired for the public to see. So it was not a hidden accusation,” the committee chairman said.
The state chairman, Prince Marcellius Nlemigbo, said that the state working committee took the action to suspend the governor for gross anti-party activities, which he said included sponsorship of a rival political party, Action Alliance, open denunciation of APC and the governorship candidate in the state and open canvassing of votes for AA governorship candidate, national and state Assemblies.
He said that the party “is supreme and nobody is above the party.”
Also, the Director, Media and Publicity of the Hope Uzodinma Campaign Organisation, Chief Enyinnaya Onuegbu, said that, in line with the provision of the constitution, the disciplinary committee was set up by the state chapter of the party, following the complaints sent to it by members and other stakeholders, adding that the disciplinary committee concluded its report and sent to the state chapter, which also deliberated on the report and made recommendation to the National body.
Speaking to the Point, the APC factional Chairman, Dan Nwafor, described the suspension as illegal, saying he had earlier suspended the Nlemigbo-led Caretaker Committee.
Although the Nwafor-led faction was dissolved by the National Working Committee, led by Adams Oshiomole late last year, Nwafor noted that they had already gone to court, adding that, prior to Okorocha’s Thursday night suspension by the state Chairman of the Caretaker Committee, led by Prince Marcellinius Nlemigbo, Nlemigbo had already been suspended by him.
“I was duly authorised and inaugurated by the National Working Committee of the party, headed by the party’s National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. The photographs and video clips to that effect are in the public domain. What authority has Nlemigbo to suspend our amiable governor? As far as Imo APC is concerned, that suspension is null and void,” Nwafor added.
He pointed out at the weekend, while speaking to reporters that there was a subsisting court case in the Federal High Court Owerri, where he sued the Independent National Electoral Commission, Oshiomhole, Nlemigbo, Ugochukwu Nzekwe, Lady Love Ineh, Mr. Enyinnaya Onuegbu, Canice Nwachukwu, Josephine Nnorom, Paul Para and Chief Linus Ineoha, among others, saying that until the matter was decided, Nlemigbo did not have any right to parade himself as the party Chairman in the state.
Nwafor also said that the governor remained the party candidate for the Senatorial ticket of Imo West Senatorial District.
While criticising Oshiomhole’s leadership style, he also described the Mathew Omegara-led disciplinary committee, constituted by Nlemigbo’s administration, as a kangoroo committee, adding that the members of committee were not qualified to become party members, much less being members of such a disciplinary committee.
Speaking to the Point, however, the Disciplinary Committee chairman, Omegara, described Nwafor as a joker, adding that the former Chairman, Hilary Eke-led exco was dissolved without congress, he obeyed.
“So, who is Nwafor? Is he the owner of APC? He will be among those that will be tried next and he will be dealt with summarily for his anti-party activities,” he said.
Adding his voice to the development, the Director, Media, Imo APC, Onuegbu, said it was Nwafor that welcomed Uche Nwosu at the Airport, adding that Nwafor had been following Nwosu about in his campaign train under the AA.
“More than 99.9 per cent of members of that committee decamped enmasse to a party that hitherto had no councilor anywhere in the federation, called Action Alliance. As if that was not enough, 22 out of 27 members of the House of Assembly in Imo State, out the 24 elected under the platform of APC decamped overnight to AA. And the party was faced with a total embarrassment of having its leadership campaigning for rival political party. As a result of that, the NEC dissolved the committee, and in its wisdom, the NEC appointed a nine-member care taker committee,” he said.
Efforts to get Okorocha’s reactions to the developments were unsuccessful when filing this report, as his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, did not pick the phone calls put through to him by our correspondent.
