Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Some stakeholders, in Imo State, under the aegis of the Concerned South East APC Stakeholders, have described as ‘dubious’, the recent positions allotted to Sen. Osita Izunaso and other members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) during a meeting of the party, in Enugu State, on Thursday.
According to Kemdi Ekwuaba who convened a meeting of the stakeholders, in Owerri, on Friday, alongside the secretary of the group, Morris Ikediash, noted that Governor Okorocha who according to them has become the new face of Imo and south east politics should be referenced before designating the positions.
The stakeholders asserted that the APC and its leadership should be celebrating success and not failure.
A communiqué issued to journalists after their meeting reads, “It is unfortunate that instead of using Governor Okorocha to ensure that APC wins more states in the South-East, the enemies of the Party within the party are even working to bring down the party in Imo that is already APC and also block the party’s chances of making Progress in other South-East states.
“In 2015 when the issues of religion and tribe featured prominently in the South-East politics concerning the 2015 election, Governor Okorocha even at the risk of his second term, left APGA and took the boldstep of joining the merger that formed APC”
It further noted, “Trying now to undermine Rochas Okorocha in the State or in the South-East is not in the best interest of the party.
“Governor Rochas Okorocha joined the merger that metamorphosed into APC, when Imo was the target of the PDP controlled Federal Government.
“He ran the election against a sitting Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, and with INEC, Army, Police and other Federal Government agencies deployed against him.
“Yet, he won the election, produced twenty-four out of the twenty-seven House of Assembly members, three House of Representatives members, and an elected Senator on the ticket of the Party.
“There is no other State in the South-East that has a Councillor on the platform of APC. The whole noise about APC in the South-East today is because of APC controlled State of Imo. The APC Leadership is expected to celebrate this feat.”
The stakeholders also affirmed that they are yet to see any other state in the South-East that the party could vouch to win in 2019 except Imo, maintaining that what happened in Anambra State election recently controlled by APGA should be a pointer.
They also declared that Governor Okorocha is not expected to be dragging leadership with anybody since he is the only APC governor in the zone.
According to them, “In 2019 those creating this confusion should achieve the feat Rochas has achieved in Imo. If those from Anambra State had won the State for APC, the Party should be talking about having two governors in the South-East today.”
For the progress of the party, the stakeholders, however, advised anybody who loves APC and wants the party to do better in 2019 not be fighting or undermining those who have made the party proud in previous elections.