BY LINUS CHIBUIKE
FORMER Governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha, has said his recent pronouncement on the need to form a new movement should not be misconstrued as a declaration that he has left the All Progressives Congress.
Okorocha, who is the lawmaker representing Imo West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, said he was talking about a movement and not a party and that no one had a greater stake in APC than him.
The former Governor, who spoke in a statement, signed by his Special Adviser on media, Sam Onwuemeodo, was reacting to insinuations that he was planning to form a new political party.
He said the worst insults he got in Imo and in the South-East in 2015 were because of the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari.
Okorocha said Buhari, National Leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, himself, and a few others, formed the ruling party, adding that some other people, who he said were on a “congratulatory trip”, had taken over.
He said, “Our Party is APC. Don’t be confused when I said that there were bad people and good people in both APC and PDP. And that the good people in the two parties should come together for the good of the nation. I was talking about a movement and not party.
“I have not left APC. I am still in APC. Nobody has a stake in APC more than me. The worst insults I had in Imo and in the South-East in 2015 was because of APC and President Muhammadu Buhari. APC was formed by President Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, myself and a few other people. But those on congratulation trip, have taken over the party.”
“Daniel Nwafor and others, duly elected as the Executives of the party remain as such. Those who want to destroy the party lied to President Buhari. The judgements on the issue all stated that the NEC of the Party or the Governor, cannot remove the party excos. The party executives can only be removed by convention,” he added.
Okorocha, however, warned that whatever was done without the duly elected party officials in the state, including the planned registration exercise, expected to begin on Monday, would be null and void.
“We do not recognise Governor Uzodinma’s APC in Imo. That’s not APC in Imo State. Those are PDP people. How many APC members are among his more than one hundred and twenty appointees? None of course,” he declared.
