BY SANDRA DURU#
Some close family persons to the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha are still upbeat about their governorship ambition in 2019.
Aside the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere and Chief of Staff, Uche Nwosu that are openly campaigning for Okorocha’s endorsement, another in law to the Governor, Chuks Ololo, hubby to Okorocha’s sister and Commissioner of Happiness and Couples Fulfillment, Ogechi is said to be pushing on with his guber plans.
Ololo may be banking on the support of her wife and Okorocha’s sister who is known to have the ears of the Governor. He is also said to be relying on the Owerri zone sentiment to push his ambition. He had vied for Owerri Federal Constituency House of Reps seat in 2015 on the platform of the APC. He was also recently appointed Board Member, Federal Institute of Research, Oshodi (FIRO).
It was gathered that Ololo has embarked on some consultations as he was alleged to have met some APC party stalwarts in Owerri West LGA recently. The meeting was said to have been facilitated by one of the traditional rulers in the area. This allegedly irked some party members who wondered why the monarch had to summon party members for a function that is outside his purview.
Efforts to get Engr. Ololo speak on this matter was not fruitful as the race for Okorocha’s seat hots up within the Governor’s camp. This latest move has fueled speculations that he may have revived his ambition with greater vigour and anticipation.
Mr. Chuks Nwokeji, a staff of the Ministry of Couples fulfillment which Ololo’s wife and Okorocha’s sister, Ogechi heads gave an insight that Ololo indeed may be eying Imo governorship contest in 2019. He said it is strange for people to make allusions that Engr.Ololo is in the race before he is married to the Governor’s daughter.
In article posted on his facebook wall, he wrote “Findings based investigations revealed that majority of those criticizing his governorship ambition were ignorant of his personality, professional back ground, height of exposure and wealth of experience. They don’t even know his immense contributions in various leadership positions he occupied at international and local levels, rather they blindly condemn his governorship ambition, simply because he is an in-law to the incumbent Imo State Governor, Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha. To his critics and sponsors of hatchet writers, his marriage to Honourable Mrs Ogechi Ololo, nee Okorocha has automatically disqualified him from eyeing the governorship seat. What a funny judgment? What an infantile reasoning”
However, despite Mr. Ololo’s political posturing, this newspaper reliably gathered that Governor Okorocha has finally settled for his Chief of Staff, Uche Nwosu as his successor. A source said soon the public unveiling of the Chief of Staff will be done probably after the congresses in the APC.