Indications are emerging that a former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, might have turned down the offer of the leader of the All Progressives Congress in the South-East.
Nnamani, who currently heads the Electoral Reform Committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari, joined the APC recently, after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It was gathered that Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, had, during a South-East stakeholders’ meeting in Owerri, declared Nnamani the leader of the party in the zone. But Nnamani, it was gathered, might have turned down the leadership offer during the APC South-East zonal meeting at Nike Lake Resort, Enugu, on Friday, February 17.
It was learnt that while the issue of the leader of the party in the South-East was being discussed, Nnamani allegedly stood up and turned down the offer.
Nnamani was said to have stressed that what should concern the party at the moment was how to win the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State.
It was, however, gathered that Nnamani’s decision was largely informed by the controversy and opposition that had followed the attempt to make him the leader of the APC in the South-East.
Spokesman for the APC in the South-East, Mr. Hyacinth Ngwu, confirmed Nnamani’s rejection of the leadership position on Monday.
Ngwu said: “Former Senate President Chief Ken Nnamani has declined the position of South-East leader. The party has decided to maintain the status quo; the situation is the same as it was originally.”
It was gathered that the decision to maintain the status quo meant that the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, remained the ‘zonal national leader’ of the APC in the South-East, while the National Vice-Chairman, South-East, Chief Emma Eneukwu, would remain the zonal leader.
But the former Senate President neither denied nor confirmed the rejection of the APC leadership position.
He said: “Declined? Have you ever seen the constitution of the APC? There is what is called informal leader and there is what is called formal leader. If it was a formal leader, it would be in the constitution.
“Leadership evolves, and with time, if I am called upon to lead, and to serve, I am there to serve my people and to serve the society in any capacity. I am not an APC member just for the South-East.
“You don’t decline an assignment, if you are given a legitimate assignment. If my people collectively give me an assignment to serve, I will not decline it. I am open for service. So, there is nothing to it, it is just semantics, playing with words.”
Further investigations also revealed that contrary to the explanation by Nnamani, majority of the South-East stakeholders opposed his “imposition” as the party’s leader in the zone.
A source, who asked not to be named, disclosed that the ‘foundation’ members of the party in the zone felt slighted when Okorocha named Nnamani the South-East APC leader.
The source said foundation members of the party felt that a newcomer was being elevated above those who built the party in the South-East.