Speaking during a press conference in Abuja yesterday, Oshiomhole accused Amosun and Okorocha of imposition in their respective states.
Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has finally nailed the coffin of the governors of Imo and Ogun state, Rochas Okorocha, Ibikunle Amosun and their Zamfara counterpart, Abdulaziz Yari after failing to submit the names of their anointed candidates as the party’s governorship candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Determined to meet the November 2 deadline set by the electoral body, the ruling party yesterday submitted the names of Hope Uzodinma and Dapo Abiodun as Imo and Ogun states’ candidates respectively, pointing out that Zamfara is still under litigation.
APC’s National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomohle, who made the disclosure, equally came down hard on the two governors, describing them as ’emperors’.
READ ALSO: Amosun to Oshiomhole: We’ll resist attempt to sell Ogun to highest bidder
Oshiomhole, who specifically called governor Okorocha “an embarrassment” to the APC as a party, added that he won’t help the Imo state governor to build a political dynasty in the South-East region.
Speaking during a press conference in Abuja yesterday, Oshiomhole frowned at some of the comments credited to the two governors following the outcome of primaries in their states.
The former Edo governor clearly accused Amosun and Okorocha of imposition in their respective states.
Specifically on Imo State, Oshiomhole said: “the NWC has met and we have upheld the result of the Gulak committee and we have prepared the name of Sen. Hope Uzodinma to be submitted to INEC.
“If governor Rochas choose to relocate to the Villa and use the ground of Villa to try to intimidate me to create a dynasty, I will even, on one leg, but powered by the truth, uphold the best interest of APC members and indeed of APC people in Imo state.”
While explaining how Governor Amosun went against the primary process, Oshiomhole revealed that the governor had called him to say that he was going to adopt consensus option but he rejected it, insisting on direct primary.
“Governor Amosun decided that him and his preferred aspirant would not participate in the primaries organised by the National Working Committee and even tried to withdraw the security that was necessary for the primaries panel.
“At a stakeholders’ meeting, Governor Amosun decided to introduce the third element which didn’t feature in the resolution of NEC, announced that Ogun State was going to adopt consensus and he proceeded to define what in his view constitutes consensus.
“He announced somebody as the consensus governor, he proceeded to announce another man as the deputy governor, he went on to proclaim himself as the next Senator and he said the current serving senator, Tejuoso should step aside.
“He also went on to announce that the second senator also from Ogun State will step aside while another man will come in. Governor Amosun went on to announce another man who will be the next speaker, and another one as the next deputy speaker.
“He also singlehandedly, pronounced that of the eight House of Representatives members, seven will not return according to him, only one will return. All these he claimed is a consensus.
“However, Ogun State governor decided in his wisdom to conduct its own self help, I mean resulting to what you can call self help by conducting what he called his own primaries.
“The Secretary to Ogun State government became the Chief Returning Officer and I and other NWC members were watching the television and we saw the Secretary to Ogun State government proclaiming himself as the returning officer, and purported to have conducted primaries,” Oshiomhole said. The APC national chairman, however, assured Nigerians that his party will defeat the candidate of the main opposition People’s Democratic party (PDP) in next year’s presidential election.“We will defeat Atiku the way we have defeated him before,” he stated.