The former governor of Imo State now Senator representing Imo West in the National Assembly, Rochas Okorocha who recently declared his aspiration to become President of Nigeria, at the end of the APC convention last Saturday expressed his willingness to run a vice to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu expressed surprise that his successor in office Governor Hope Uzodinma is not comfortable with his ambition and wondered why his kinsman has been tackling him.
In a statement issued in Owerri on Monday March 25, by his former Chief Press Secretary now his Special Adviser, Media, Sam Onwuemedo, Okorocha claimed that Governor Hope uzodinma has not only reduced the office of the governor of Imo state to a child’s play, but has made himself a willing tool by pursing Okorocha improvoked and unwarranted.
He went on to say that, “Few hours, after the National Convention of All Progressives Congress, APC, the story came that, Senator Rochas Okorocha had said that, he would accept to be Vice- Presidential candidate to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, if given the opportunity . This false story trended, since every story about Okorocha, trends.
“We knew the source of that moonlight tale. lt came from Gov. Uzodinma’s side . We kept quiet over the gimmick, because , before now, we had decided to ignore certain tantrums from the camphope government, in lmo .
“Perhaps, having been disappointed that we didn’t come up with the kind of reaction they had expected, Governor Uzodinma, through one of his media apostles, one Ogu Bundu Nwadike, threw caution to the wind, and abused Okorocha profusely, leveraging on the story they had manufactured, Okorocha begging to be V.P candidate to Tinubu.
The “element” insulted Okorocha as if he was insulting someone at his pitiable level , because of the unfortunate impression Governor Uzodinma has created that , any of them could abuse Okorocha and get his or her reward here on earth, from his government.
“They had also come up with this fictitious story as a distraction to the main story , which was , governor Uzodinma losing out totally , in the just held Convention of APC.
“As a government that glory in leisure and pleasure, they were not able to know that, in Nigeria of yesterday and today , Southern- Southern ticket, was not possible and won’t be possible. They could not remember that Okorocha and Tinubu ticket, all from the South, won’t be possible in the circumstance.
They had also wanted us to react violently to Asiwaju , following the false story . But , we were smarter. We knew that, Tinubu and his people would not have imagined such a thing. That was our conclusion.
“They never saw that Uzodinma lost out and made lmo to equally lose out, in the Convention because of the governor’s combative brand of politics.
“Imo could only get zonal chairman. Yet , the candidate was not the Governor’s choice . He could not get one slot . The kind of thing one gets, when he or she does not act well his or her part, where the honour lies.
Okorocha has remained calm in the face of orchestrated campaign of calumny launched against him by Governor Uzodinma and his government.
Yet, it was not Okorocha that gave Governor Uzodinma his latest title in town. His fellow governors gave him the name or title. lt was not Okorocha that manipulated him out of favour , in the just concluded APC Convention. Yet, he won’t leave Okorocha alone.
On television screens, Governor Uzodinma would always tell his audience or viewers, how Okorocha is his junior brother and how he had apologized to Okorocha. Yet, the truth remains that, he has the unsigned contract of blackmailing Okorocha full-time , with the target, being his presidential pursuit.
No day had passed and no day passes , without the Uzodinma Government abusing Okorocha in the media. That’s part of their 2021 and 2022 budget.
The situation has gotten so bad that, the Uzodinma government finds it extremely difficult to accord Okorocha the needed courtesy, as the former governor of lmo state and currently, the Senator Representing lmo West senatorial District .
16. For instance, in governor Uzodinma’s own list of delegates, for the last Saturday’s Convention of APC , he found it difficult to include Okorocha in the former governors list. He wrote Okorocha in the Senators’ list and after Frank lbeziem. That’s the extent the camphope government in lmo could be petty.
Okorocha , as a sitting Governor, got the position of National Organising Secretary of APC for lmo. Osita lzunaso held that position. He got that position again. Emma lbediro held it. Okorocha didn’t need to be Technical Committee Chairman to get all that. Capacity is key. Today, lmo doesn’t have any national position. Only zonal position.
The truth of the matter is that, time has come for Uzodinma to face governance and leave Okorocha alone. Time has also come , for him to change style.
When he does all these, we can begin to chorus, Onwaaaa, Onwa lmo. Onwa Oyoko and God would take his glory. But for now, we are seeing him as Onwa camphope. And not a good one. Not a good development, at all.”
