Okorocha regrets dumping PDP for APC

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State on Wednesday in Abuja regretted defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The Imo governor at a press conference in Abuja lamented that the evil he feared in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has befallen him 10 times in the APC. He raised alarm that the APC is witch-hunting him.

The Imo governor regretted that the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, who he ‘installed’ now, conspires with other APC leaders to ‘bring him down’ and inflict political machinations against him.

Okorocha declared: “There is nothing personal between me and Adams Oshiomhole other than the fact that he is part and parcel of this high level of conspiracy to bring down Rochas politically.

“What is painful is that Adam Oshiomhole that I literally put into this position, I never asked him to do me any favour. All I requested was for him to do what is right. The fact that he would turn around to do this evil is totally unacceptable.

“That the party that I formed will treat me in this manner is rather unfortunate. The evil I feared in the PDP has befallen me 10 times in the APC. I hate injustice.”

The Imo governor decried that his travail in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) decision to withhold the issuance of his Certificate of Return is injustice.

Okorocha maintained that INEC does not have the power to withhold his certificate of return.

The governor state: “Last week, I wrote a letter to INEC for the first time informing them of their wrongdoings and illegal actions to withhold my certificate on the mere allegation of duress which was never founded, neither was there any committee set up to investigate the matter.

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“So, INEC on its own believed the reports of the Returning Officer without investigating the authenticity of the accusation. So, there was no issue of fair hearing at all.

“What is important here is that INEC does not have the power to withhold the certificate of return, having declared the result.

“I believe the INEC chairman is up to a game with the chairman of the APC, who is being used to frustrate my coming to the Senate, and this is politically motivated. I’ve given INEC enough time to correct itself and do the needful and issue me my certificate of return but to no avail.”

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Okorocha exonerated President Muhammadu Buhari from being behind his ordeal, saying: “No, I don’t think President Buhari is behind this. President Buhari is definitely not behind this.

“If you know the President well, you will know that he will never intervene as he will only keep mute. But whether President Buhari speaks or not, INEC should do the right thing by giving me my certificate of return,”

Okorocha declared that he will never leave the APC despite the moves by some APC leaders to frustrate him.