*BY SANDRA UGWU*
The political altercations between National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Chief John Odigie Oyegun and Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has taken a new dimension. The Imo State Governor had in the past accused the party’s national chairman of bias over the conduct of Congresses in Imo APC which favoured the ‘Allied Forces”, a group of politicians in Imo APC strongly opposed to the Imo State Governor.
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“The Allied Forces” also called The Coalition is made up Okorocha’s Deputy, Prince Eze Madumere, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, Senator Benjamin Uwajumuogu who recently resigned as Secretary of APC Convention/Congress Commitee, Senator Hope Uzodinma, APC National Organizing Secretary, Senator Hope Uzodinma, Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba, Mr. Jasper Azuatalam among others.
Governor Okorocha had accused Oyegun of punishing him for opposing the tenure elongation of the National Working Committee of the APC. Oyegun who withdrew from the race for the national chairmanship of the APC spoke on alleged “witch hunting” by the party on the Imo State Governor. He said at the weekend that “ there is a united voice” against the Imo Governor. He wondered why Governor Okorocha is the only APC Governor being witch hunted among other governors that stood against his tenure elongation.
Oyegun was quoted to have said “Wasn’t the strongest force behind the objection to tenure elongation so why is his case different? I don’t think it is necessary to go into the details.
“Well the processes are still on and it is not good to answer you in details but the answer lies in one fact; that he is not the only one who opposed the so called tenure elongation, how come he is the only one being witch hunted?
“When you look at the totality of the events in that state, I think you can get a clearer picture of what is going on there. There is a united voice calling for a different way of doing things,” he said.
Meanwhile, newspaper reports in Owerri claimed on Monday that members of the “Allied Forces” are now panicking over the withdrawal of Chief Oyegun from the National Chairmanship race of the All Progressive Congress, APC. Oyegun had okayed the ward, the local government and State Congresses as ratified by the Appeal Committees of the congresses.
Governor Okorocha had protested over the congress in the party in the State running to President Muhammadu Buhari to seek for presidential intervention. The Governor’s protest was backed by members of Imo State House of Assembly who went to Abuja to appeal for the cancellation of the congress all to no avail.
Okorocha apparently disappointed with the inability of the Oyegun led National Working Committee, NWC to reject the outcome of the congress expressed hope that when Oyegun leaves as national chairman of the party after the national convention and hopefully former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomole emerges the party’s national chairman, the situation in Imo APC will change. He had gone ahead to set up a parallel State Executives headed by Chris Oguoma.
This newspaper observed that the ” Allied Forces” or coalition members may be enjoying unfettered backing from the Oyegun led National Working Committee over the situation in Imo APC. According to the report, Oshiomole’s emergence may alter the political equation in the party in the State.