The much suspected rift in the All Progressive Congress, APC South East may have been confirmed by the recent utterances of Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha.
This newspaper had observed that prior to the APC National Convention held in Abuja, the South East caucus of the party and other top leaders of the party had endorsed the re – election of some Igbo party officials in the National Working Committee, NWC of the party.
Among those nominated were Senator Osita Izunaso, who was recommended to be re- elected at the National Convention of the party. Others include Hon Emma Eneukwu (South East Zonal Chairman), George Moghalu (National Auditor) and others.
But Governor Rochas Okorocha went solo and rather fielded his aide, Emma Ibediro for the position. Ibediro later won at the convention defeating Senator Izunaso.
Izunaso is challenging his loss before the party’s Appeal Committee headed by former Senate President, Ken Nnamani.
This newspaper had also observed that Okorocha had been absent in recent meetings of the South East APC caucus thus fueling speculations of a rift.
But Okorocha in his first open comments pertaining to the issue denied any rift with any South East APC leader or any Igbo Minister serving in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.
According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemedo, Okorocha said “he is not in conflict or quarreling with any minister or leader from the South-East, stating that whatever he does in his politics at the moment is borne out of his genuine concern for the future of the Igbo nation, how they can take their rightful position and play the expected role in nation-building”
The statement quoted the Governor to have spoken at the weekend at a dinner organized for what was tagged “emerging leaders and aspirants in the South-East for Buhari,” at the Imo International Convention Centre (IICC) Owerri, explaining that he does not have any personal score to settle with any minister or leader from the South-East, but his interest at the moment is to ensure that the Igbos would never allow the political mistake of 2015 to repeat itself in 2019.
“On the home front, there is no goal keeper. All our leaders live in Abuja, even former governors. All our leaders are in Abuja and there is no one to fall back on at home unlike our contemporaries in the North and West. Muhammadu Buhari is the President but Shehu Shageri is in Sokoto. Ibrahim Babangida is in Minna, Abdulsalami Abubakar is also in Minna. Obasanjo is in ota, Ogun State. Bola Tinubu is in Lagos. They are goal keepers and elder statesmen to their younger ones and giving support to their future generation,
“But for us, our case is different. Our old politicians keep rocking back and front, usurping the political future of our younger generation. So, I am of the firm belief that we should have a new and virile Igbo nation so that the younger ones can begin to take their rightful positions. That’s what we mean by emerging leaders and not that you are not leaders in your own rights”, he stated.
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