Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and the National Working Committee,NWC of the All Progressive Congress, APC are in war of words over President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Owerri, Imo State on January 29, 2019.
This newspaper had sighted a statement credited to the National Publicity Secretary,Mr. Issa Onilu advising Okorocha and supporters of his son in law, Uche Nwosu, who is the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance, AA, to stay away from the rally
The statement also stated that Okorocha has been removed as State Campaign Co-coordinator of President Buhari’s campaign in the State and appointed Senator Hope Uzodinma, the party’s governorship candidate in the State as his replacement.
Okorocha in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemedo on Monday evening accused the APC publicity scribe of raising a false alarm.
part of the statement reads:
“Twenty-four hours to the Presidential Rally in Owerri, Mr. Issa-Onilu had no other contribution to make to the event than to raise false and needless alarms and making disturbing claims.
“He said APC has removed Governor Rochas Okorocha as Imo Campaign Coordinator. He also said that APC has alerted the Police, DSS of the Plot to Disrupt Owerri Presidential Rally by Governor Rochas Okorocha and Ugwumba Uche Nwosu.
“It is unfortunate that in their relentless effort to justify whatever they had eaten over the Party’s guber ticket in Imo, they have decided to be callous about the whole thing. Otherwise, they would have known that the APC Presidential Rally slated for Owerri on Tuesday is Governor Okorocha’s event from A to Z.
“In any case, Governor Okorocha has never been the Party’s State Campaign Coordinator. Governor Okorocha is rather the President Buhari Campaign Coordinator. He was among those inaugurated by the President. And Mr. Issa Onilu and his group cannot remove who they never appointed. So, Mr. Issa-Onilu’s claim was borne out of ignorance.
“To say the least, Imo is calm. Governor Okorocha is totally and duly in-charge. The Presidential Rally will take place and peacefully too. They had raised that false alarm to discourage the President from attending the rally like they did during the Presidential rally for youths and women.
“Does it not call for concern that the same folks who said that Governor Okorocha and Uche Nwosu have been deserted by Imo people, are the same people now raising alarm that the duo have the Capacity to disrupt the Rally.
“The point is that truth lives while lies do not live. These Abuja based Politicians have fed them with lies and they took or bought the lies wholesale. Otherwise, how would someone think that a man who went to the Senate through the Court would now know Imo Politics more than a man who has won two governorship elections and on the platforms of Political Parties that were not in Power at the Centre.
“Let’s conclude by telling Mr. Issa-Onilu and his Co-travellers that they shall know the truth, and the truth shall set them free from whatever deal they had with the PDP man holding the APC guber ticket. The Presidential Rally is going to be a mega one and we are not living any stone unturned.
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