2019: Oshiomhole solicits support of Amosun, Okorocha, Yari in APC campaigns

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, is extending olive branch to aggrieved APC Governors who is appealing for their support during the 2019 electioneering campaigns of the ruling party.

National Daily gathered that Oshiomhole earlier this week remarked that governors aggrieved over the conduct of the party’s primary elections are good party men, who would support the party and its candidates in their respective states despite their grievances.

Oshiomole has been having running battle with Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, and Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State, who the national chairman suppressed during the party primaries in their respective states and imposed candidates anointed from Abuja and godfathers in the APC from other states. The national chairman raised no suspicion that any of the aggrieved governors would work against the ruling party during the campaign and general elections.

Okorocha had earlier declared that APC has already lost five million votes in 2019 because of Oshiomhole.

Oshiomole, however, stated: “They are angry now, but I believe in a short while they will turn around and support the party.

“I believe Governor Amosun is my friend and I believe people are entitled to feel disappointed if things don’t work out the way they want. I think usually like any leader, he will recognise the greater interest of the party, I know he is a loyal party man; I can’t see him voting with his feet.

“As a statesman, who has contributed to the growth and development of Ogun State, he will want to ensure that his party continues to govern the state and play the role of a statesman; I have no fear at all because this thing called choice is a relative question.

“Whatever we have as internal issues in APC do not in fact undermine that Amosun, has more things to show as governor of that state and for which I am very proud of as chairman of the party. I hope he can overcome his anger so that we can work to reconcile our various interests in Ogun State.

“As for my friend Rochas Okorocha, who talked about nepotism, well as the head of the family, I do not want to continue to bring family matters to the market. At the end of the day, it makes sense to keep it in the family, that is what maturity and responsibility imposes on me.

“So, I won’t join issues with him, but the truth is that while I was in government, there was no other Oshiomhole in government. This is not something to hide, as a journalist you can go to Edo State and ask how many Oshiomholes were in government while I was at Osadebe House.

“Well, Okorocha is a great guy. He is one of those who left APGA to join APC. It is on record as having contributed his quota to the formation of the APC.

“We also have to accept that a tree cannot make a forest and we have to encourage those who think otherwise to recognise that this is a fact.

“In Imo State, we have big names but it is not about big names, it is about big numbers. And the big numbers in Imo State are with us and I think Governor Okorocha appreciates this fact.

“Now, as for whether people will decamp or not I am not so sure. Even if they do, they will not make history, after all, in recent past, sitting governors decamped for one reason or the other because they want to be president. Having decamped they found that there are so many aspirants, they have since reconciled themselves with the reality that though they decamped from the APC believing that they are going to be presidential candidate of the PDP, they got there and found an over-crowded house.

“I think some of them have quietly taken the governorship ticket and some have even taken the senatorial ticket and they are living with the new reality. I think that is the way it is.

“In a democracy, it is a game of numbers and in Imo State we have the numbers and I am sure that Okorocha, when he overcomes his disappointment with regard to whom he would have preferred to succeed him, he will recognise that as a democrat that is the way these things work sometimes. Outcomes can be predicted sometimes but it could be shocking some other time. I think Nigeria’s democracy is evolving but we are not running traditional rulership.”