Okorocha meets with Buhari, tackles Oshiomhole

Imo State State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has again latched out at the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, saying that with him in charge, the party will have a serious setback in 2023.

Okorocha spoke with State House Correspondents shortly after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Aso Rock, Abuja.

According to him, “My fear now is that APC may have a serious setback in 2023 because the Oshiomhole-led executive is actually turning APC into a regional minority party, which shouldn’t be. Right now in the whole of South-East, we don’t have an APC governor.

“So, if there is any discussion in Nigeria now within the APC governors and President Muhammadu Buhari, there will be nobody from the South-East. This is what the APC chairman has done in the South-East.”

Okorocha who said he was in the Presidential villa to request the President to visit the state to inaugurate his many projects, attributed the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s poor performance in the state to the imposition of a candidate by the party’s leadership.

He also said that he was confident that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would issue a Certificate of Return to him as the Senator-elect for Imo West Senatorial District.

“As it stands today, I am just waiting patiently for the release of my certificate of return for an election that I duly won.

“And I am hoping that INEC will release my certificate as I have not contravened any section of the constitution, neither have I done anything wrong to warrant the withholding of my certificate. I pray and hope that INEC will do what is just and right.

“INEC conducted elections, results were declared by the returning officer and I won; only to hear one week later that somebody wrote a petition that he made that declaration under duress; the question is where?

“Was it in his private house or at the collation centre? If it was at the collation centre, members of the SSS were there, policemen were there, as well as international observers and INEC officials.

“So, who actually put him under duress? The man has not been able to say that; he has never made a statement about that. So I think INEC will want to do the right thing very soon.’’

On National Assembly leadership, the governor said that the South-East should be carried along properly for the sake of balance in the politics of the country.

According to him, Buhari is a de-tribalised father who treats every Nigerian equally, irrespective of ethic nationality or religion.

Okorocha therefore, said it would be unfair for anybody to paint Buhari as a sectional leader.