Raphael Ede, Enugu; Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri 

THE Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has pleaded with Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha to stop pitting the Catholic Church against the All Progressives Congress (APC)  and, by extension, President Muhammadu Buhari.

Okechukwu said he was pained to read a report credited to the governor where he allegedly ‘dared,  Archbishop Anthony Obinna, saying that the Catholic prelate cannot install an All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as  governor in Imo State in 2019.

The APC chieftain urged the people of Imo State and Ndigbo worldwide not to take  Okorocha as a “poster card” of APC.

He said: “What we lost in APC is because of him. He is a man who doesn’t believe in himself and he tells himself lies.”

Okechukwu, who spoke with Daily Sun in an interview said: “My worry is that Okorocha should separate religion from politics. I remember vividly how he took President Buhari and all of us before the 2015 election to Archbishop Obinna, who welcomed Buhari wholeheartedly. In fact, when we finished the preamble, we were not privileged to go into the inner reserve where the archbishop took Buhari  and APC leadership to.

“As a member, I was not privileged to be in that inner circle, but from my calculation, it showed acceptance and support from an archbishop of a big diocese like Owerri Archdiocese, one of the biggest archdioceses in the Catholic kingdom all over the world.

“So,  Governor Okorocha should please stop pitting the great Catholic Church against the APC and, by extension, President Buhari.

Okechukwu said only Imo people, especially those with permanent voters’ card (PVC) that are qualified to decide whether Okorocha, as governor of Imo State, has done  well or not.

Meanwhile, former governorship aspirant and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Mike Ahamba, has maintained that the much clamour for Owerri zone to produce the next governor of the state in 2019 is not a statutory right, but an issue of equity and justice. 

Ahamba, who disclosed this yesterday at Owerri Unity Convention, held at the Oxygen Hotel, Owerri, the Imo State capital, emphasised that Owerri zone cannot demand the position by right, but would have to gather the support of the two other zones of Okigwe and Orlu.

Ahamba said: “In 1999, we supported Orlu zone for governor because we considered that they had not produced a governor yet, although we had only 18 months.

“Sam Mbakwe from Okigwe zone had four years and three months. Now equity,  brotherliness, that understanding of our being one state called Imo should make you people to remember us and allow us occupy the house that is built in our compound.”

The legal luminary, however, advised Owerri zone to work together to realise their dream of producing the next governor, but warned them against sabotage.

“This is our time, and we must come together. We will not accept candidates who are nominated and sponsored from outside.

“We must come together, but, as we do it,  let nobody use any method that will offend his opponent.

“If there is fair play in nomination, if there is fair play in the election, there will be no problem in coming together at the end of it.”

Those present at the meeting were the state Deputy Governor,  Eze Madumere, members of  Board of Trustees of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Senator Chris Anyanwu, Retired Air Commodore Peter Gbujie, former commissioner for Revenue Generation, Nick Okparandudu, Leo Stan Eke and wife of Ondo State governor,  Betty  Anyanwu Akeredolu, among other politicians.