SUSPENSION: Oshiomhole determined to destroy APC in South-East -Okorocha

All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors Forum chairman and Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, has reacted to his suspension by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

He described his suspension as part of APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole’s predetermined goal to destroy the governing party in the South East part of Nigeria.

He also suggested that it was part of plots to scheme the region out from 2023 presidential race.

The Oshiomhole-led NWC of the APC had on Friday announced that Okorocha and his Ogun State counterpart, Ibikunle Amosun, had been suspended by the party over alleged anti-party activities.

Suspended along with them were the Niger Delta minister, Usani Usani, and the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu.

The NWC not only suspended them but also recommended for their expulsion in a recommendation sent to APC National Executive Committee (NEC), the party’s highest decision-making organ, for ratification.

The sin of the two governors, who won senatorial seats on the APC platform last Saturday, is believed to be their support for their preferred governorship candidates in their states who are in opposition parties, rather the APC candidates.

Usani and Okechukwu were alleged not to be working for the success of APC in their various states.

Reacting to his suspension in a statement on Friday, Okorocha said, “Adams Oshiomhole was determined right from the outset to destroy APC in the South-East and unknown to party chieftains from the zone who had genuinely supported his chairmanship.

“He is playing the politics of 2023 in 2019 and in playing it, he has thrown caution to the wind. In all the South-East states there are crises and all arising from the fraudulent manner he conducted the primaries.”

Though what Okorocha meant by “politics of 2023 in 2019,” is not fully expressed, there are however speculations that he was referring to the tussle between South West and South East, over who will produce the a candidate to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

Okorocha who lambasted Oshiomhole, went down memory lane on how he played a major role in the formation of the APC.

“In 2015, Governor Okorocha had joined the merger that gave birth to APC at the risk of his second tenure and was called all sorts of unprintable names. Yet, he won the governorship election, delivered 24 out of the 27 members of the House of Assembly for APC, two House of Representatives members and one Senator.

“In 2019, Oshiomhole felt that such a man should be treated with disdain. He handed over the governorship ticket of the party to Hope Uzodinma who has never resigned his membership of the PDP on the floor of the Senate like others did and giving all kinds of flimsy excuses.

“If Oshiomhole had meant well for APC and Imo people in particular, would he have given the ticket of the party to a man facing five corruption charges and having travel ban slammed on him, to be the party’s candidate.

“In the February 23, 2019 Presidential and National Assembly election, Governor Okorocha won in ten, out of the twelve local governments in Orlu zone to emerge winner for Imo West Senatorial District. He also delivered four House of Representatives candidates on the platforms of APC and AA respectively, with one Senate seat and two House of Representatives seats outstanding.

”When the APC members across the nation are still celebrating the success of the party in the Presidential and National Assembly elections, Oshiomhole in his wisdom or lack of it, felt that the best action in the circumstance was to suspend two governors who did well in the election, even when he played safe in 2015 and 2019 in Edo State without any known pressure.

“Again, Oshiomhole coming up with the purported expulsion this time was only acting out of the fear that God in his infinite Mercy could give Governor Okorocha a role to play in the Senate, in the overall interest of the nation.

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“The truth is that Oshiomhole is only labouring in vain to play his own part of the deal that warranted his giving out the tickets of the party to non-deserving elements like in the case of Imo.

“Finally, APC especially in the South-East and in Imo, in particular, will outlive Oshiomhole. Men like him hardly sleep with their two eyes closed. They always sleep with their eyes open because they have murdered sleep with their actions and inactions. And unfortunately for him, the purported expulsion can’t stand because the law has taken care of it even long before now.”

Meanwhile, VON DG, Okechukwu, has said he was yet to be notified of his suspension from the APC.

He argued that contra ray to the party’s belief that his actions affected the performance of the party in his state, Enugu, in the just concluded election, he worked for the party.

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