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Tag: Okorocha

  • 2019: Okorocha breaks silence, speaks on alleged plans to dump Buhari, APC

    Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has said that he is still in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that his support for the success of President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election is incontestable and unshakable.

    Okorocha, who spoke on Tuesday at the Government House, Owerri, during a media parley, also added that Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, remained the best candidate for the election in the state.

    “He is visionary, dutiful, hardworking and a proactive young man. He remains the best among all the candidates for the governorship election in the state.”

    Okorocha, however, contended that he was still in the APC having been one of the founding fathers of the party in the country.

    “I cannot be part of destroying the mansion I have helped in building. I totally support the APC and all of its candidates for the 2019 general elections.”

    He further described what played out in the APC in the recent past on who emerges as its Imo State governorship candidate as a political injustice.

    Stating that the choice of Senator Hope Uzodinma as the state governorship candidate for the 2019 election was not the choice of the party faithful. He regretted that the APC which was known for uprightness and justice had lost its integrity and purposeful bearing.

    He further said that he was not embattled in any form but that the fight against him was because of his political sagacity.

    The governor blamed the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who he described as a simpleton, having been deceived by some disgruntled members of the party.

    “I still have my numerous supporters with me, but those who are naïve who want to leave and have left, I wish them good luck. This is because I cannot stop them.”

    Meanwhile, Okorocha had disclosed that he has the APC ticket for Imo West (Orlu) Senatorial District election, just as he added that he would coast to victory in the election.

     

  • Alleged $55m bribe: DSS urges Buhari to prosecute Oshiomhole

    Alleged $55m bribe: DSS urges Buhari to prosecute Oshiomhole

    The Department of State Services (DSS) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, for allegedly receiving over $55 million in bribes.

    The former Edo State governor had initially been detained by the agency on November 4, 2018 and interrogated for nine hours on allegations made by certain governors that he received bribes to manipulate the APC’s primary elections conducted across the country over a month ago.

    The agency was also revealed to have compelled Oshiomhole to resign as the APC chairman, but he refused, noting that he still had President Buhari’s confidence. That confidence might be on the wane now if the report of the DSS, based on its findings, is anything to go by.

    According to SaharaReporters, the report, which has already been forwarded to Buhari, indicated that Oshiomhole most notably received bribes from governorship candidates in Imo, Ogun, and Zamfara states.

    “Hope Uzodinma, the APC governorship candidate in Imo State, gave $3 million; Rochas Okorocha, Governor of the state, offered $500,000 but it was rejected; Dapo Abiodun, the APC candidate in Ogun State, paid $5 million. The DSS also said some of the money was paid into Oshiomhole’s niece’s account,” a source told SaharaReporters.

    The source also disclosed that the report alleged that Oshiomhole received $17 million as bribe from Zamfara State. A former Ekiti State governor, Niyi Adebayo, and a former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Farouk Adamu, were listed as his accomplices in the DSS report which has also been forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The source noted that the presidency and top party officials including APC national leader, Bola Tinubu and vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, are trying to deal with the controversy as delicately as possible because of the impact it could have on the party’s chances in the upcoming 2019 general elections.

    The primary elections of the APC to choose candidates to contest in the 2019 general elections has been trailed by a lot of divisions and controversies within the party.

    A lot of state governors are openly feuding with Oshiomhole over what they’ve alleged to be his role in truncating the processes to install certain candidates.

    His most notable feuds are with Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun, Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, and Zamfara State governor, Abdulaziz Yari who all failed in their bids to handpick their successors.

    While he has maintained his innocence about the allegations, Oshiomhole has also decried the role of the DSS in the episode, arguing that it should be investigated by the EFCC instead.

  • Okorocha warns Igbo leaders against adoption of candidates

    Okorocha warns Igbo leaders against adoption of candidates

    Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state has warned Igbo leaders to tow the path of honour and wisdom by avoiding adopting any candidate for the 2019 presidential election

    He said that President Muhammadu Buhari remains the best alternative for Nigeria and expressed firm belief that Bunari will win in 2019.

    Okorocha’s advice followed the reported adoption of the Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar by Igbo leaders led by Prof. Ben Nwabueze.

    Okorocha said that as a firm believer in All Progressives Congress (APC) and founder of the Party, he will work hard with other committed party members to ensure his own Victory and the Victory of other Candidates of the party they believe can win the 2019 election, adding that he remains in APC and the candidate of the Party for Orlu Zone Senatorial election.

    Governor Okorocha also asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to verify the Court Order brought by Chief Hope Uzodinma for which he was listed as the governorship Candidate of APC for Imo State to find out the authenticity or otherwise of the Court Order, contending that the Court Order in question might have been forged.

    In the words of Okorocha in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwemeodo, “On the adoption of a Presidential Candidate by Igbo leaders and their playing partisan politics, my advise is that Igbo leaders should toe the path of wisdom and should not come again adopting a Candidate. Mine is an advise that the Igbos should be careful not to play the same type of very bad politics we played in the past which most of the times, kept us in political wilderness. As a people, we must be wise now and never foreclose the possibility of any presidential Candidate becoming the president tomorrow”.

  • Obaseki backs Oshiomhole against Amosun, Okorocha, says ‘Nobody is above the law’

    Obaseki backs Oshiomhole against Amosun, Okorocha, says ‘Nobody is above the law’

    Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on Sunday reacted to the feud between the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole’s quarrel and some governors after the recently concluded controversial primaries held across the country.

    He said some governors were opposed to Oshiomhole because of the change the chairman was introducing to the party.

    “What Oshiomhole is doing is to institute a regime of change where nobody is above the law,” he said.

    Obaseki, who spoke in Benin City at the Church of God Mission during a thanksgiving service to mark his second year in office, did not name any governor, but Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun and Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha have been locked in a bitter row with Oshiomhole over the party’s primaries.

    Many Nigerians under the Buhari-led administration are now afraid to commit crimes because of the repercussion, Obaseki said.

    The governor said Nigerians would soon begin to feel the impact of “the fundamental changes” President Buhari was making.

    “Some of the fundamental changes started by Buhari/ Osinbajo will manifest shortly. For the first time people are now afraid to do wrong,” he said.

    Speaking on his style, Obaseki said instead of dashing people money he would rather invest massively in infrastructure. The governor said he would also support people to grow their businesses.

    He said his administration had commenced the training of 4,000 youths to boost security in the state, adding that a new security architecture would soon be unveiled.

    He said: “One key element is that whatever we do must affect the people. We are stretching our limited resources to work for the people. We will spend money to work for the people.”

    Recall that Oshiomhole has been at loggerheads with Okorocha, who is pushing for his son in-law to be the party’s governorship candidate.

    Amosun is also not pleased that his candidate for the party’s ticket did not get the prize.

    Oshiomhole said he would not help Okorocha to build a political dynasty. He pdescribed Amosun as an “emperor” for initially choosing candidates for various offices in disrespect to the primaries supervised by the National Working Committee (NWC).

  • No impeachment process against Okorocha – Speaker

    No impeachment process against Okorocha – Speaker

    Dr Iheanacho Ihim, Speaker, Imo House of Assembly has said that there was no impeachment process against Gov. Rochas Okorocha.

    Ihim, who made the clarification in a statement signed by Mr Marcel Ekwezuo, his Chief Press Secretary min Owerrin on Friday, said the governor had carried out his duties within the full provisions of the law.

    He described as misleading, insinuations in some quarters that some members of the House had contemplated instituting impeachment process against the governor.

    “His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha, has so far conducted himself and steered the administrative machinery of Imo within the most perceived and glaring ambits of the law.

    “No member of the Imo House of Assembly has contemplated, even remotely, the misleading allegation of his impeachment charge,“ he said.

    According to him, the impeachment procedure of any state Governor is a constitutional matter, but added that it is neither done surreptitiously nor stealthily.

    “It is an act done in the open; and no member of the State Assembly has any knowledge of the fictitious and imaginary said impeachment procedure.”

    He condemned the originators of the news and enjoined the state government and the general public to disregard the allegations.

    “It beats my imagination how an obscure and imaginary television station operating outside the shores of Imo state could be the harbinger of a story of such magnitude. There is a plethora of refined, reliable and reputable mass media in Imo.“

    “Such fake news and other morally degenerate stories are the stock in trade of that lowly rated and generally unknown, non conventional television station.

    “I enjoin the relevant publics and government of Imo to discountenance the falsehood of Gov. Okorocha’s alleged impeachment for what it is – a lie from the pit of hell.”

    NAN

  • APC responsible for what Nigerians are going through – Okorocha

    APC responsible for what Nigerians are going through – Okorocha

    Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has charged his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, to stop shifting blames and take responsibility for the problems facing Nigeria.

    Okorocha said though APC inherited the challenges, it must ensure that they were fixed.

    He stated that Nigerians voted APC into power to fix their challenges and not to complain.

    Speaking with State House Correspondents in Abuja, the governor assured that the pains Nigerians are going through was only momentarily.

    According to Okorocha, “As APC, we are responsible for everything happening in Nigeria. We are responsible for the good, the bad, the ugly but we are promising Nigerians that we shall fix it.

    “We share the pains of Nigerians; every human being must feel it. We also feel what they are going through but we are asking for a little patience.

    “Let us do things the right way and do it once and for all. I am sure that by next year, you will begin to see changes, the price of rice will drop, prices of dollars will begin to stabilise and we will see a lot of challenges.

    “But at this painful moment, nobody likes it. It is like a woman in the labour room, when she is in the labour room there is no joy but she has to pass through that moment and that moment, she does not wear her high heel shoes, no makeup, no champagne, no party.

    “She is going through a process but shortly after that process, joy cometh once she sees the child. So, Nigerians should bear with us as a government.”

  • JUST IN: Court voids suspension of five Imo lawmakers, slams N8m fine on Okorocha

    JUST IN: Court voids suspension of five Imo lawmakers, slams N8m fine on Okorocha

    A High Court in Imo State on Monday declared as null and void the suspension of five members of the state House of Assembly.

    The presiding judge, Justice Goddy Anunihu, who declared the processes that led to the indefinite suspension of the five lawmakers as “putting the horse before the cart,” also awarded N8m as cost against the three defendants.

    The defendants in the suit instituted by the embattled lawmakers were: the Imo State House of Assembly, the Speaker, Acho Ihim and the governor of the state, Rochas Okorocha.

    The affected lawmakers are: Chiiji Collins, Israel Nnataraoye, Nkenna Nzerue, Uche Oguwuike and Donatus Onuigwe.

    They represent Isiala Mbano, Mbaitoli, Ikeduru, Oru East and Oru West state constituencies respectively.

    The lawmakers were, in July, suspended by their colleagues in what the Speaker described as “un-parliamentary conduct.”

    They were suspended during the crisis surrounding the impeachment of the state deputy governor, Eze Madumere.

    The court had since reinstated Madumere.

    The presiding judge who tongue-lashed the legislature for acting against the law, faulted the setting-up of an investigation team to look into the allegations against the now reinstated lawmakers.

    Anunihu said that based on the evidence before him, the panel was set up even before the “purported indefinite suspension.”

    One of the reinstated lawmakers, Nnataraonye, who spoke to our correspondent on the phone shortly after the judgment was delivered, said, “I am in my office now. I have moved in and resumed duties immediately.

    “This is victory for democracy and it shows that our judicial system is a place of justice.”

     

  • 2019: Nobody can stop me from succeeding my father-in-law in office – Nwosu

    The Chief of Staff to the Imo State Governor, Mr. Uche Nwosu, has said he will succeed his father-in-law, Rochas Okorocha, as governor in 2019.

    Nwosu, who spoke at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, described as “unfortunate” comments attributed to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, suggesting that he (Oshiomhole) would not serve as an enabler for Okorocha to establish a family political dynasty.

    Nwosu said there was no part of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) making it an offence for someone to seek an election to office on account of him/her being married to the offspring of an occupant of such an office.

    He said, “I won that (primary) election. I remain the candidate of the APC and nobody can take it away from me. It might take a while but let me state it and state it clearly, I am the candidate of the APC and by the special grace of God, come 2019 I have no doubt that I will be the governor of Imo State.”

    He explained that the claim by Oshiomhole that the APC National Working Committee under his leadership upheld the result of the primary submitted by the he Chairman of the Imo State governorship primaries, Ahmed Gulak, was “fraudulent”.

    He stated that he won the one earlier conducted by a majority of the members of the Ahmed Gulak panel after the former Political Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan allegedly sneaked out of Owerri to Abuja to announce a result which the party’s headquarters cancelled.

    He insisted that he also won the second one conducted by the Ibrahim Agbabiaka committee.

    Nwosu said “The APC NWC set up the committee led by General Agbabiaka and they came to Owerri to conduct another primary, which I won.

    “The committee sent their report to the NWC, and the national committee approved the result.”

  • 2019: Okorocha, Amosun are embarrassments to APC – Oshiomhole

    2019: Okorocha, Amosun are embarrassments to APC – Oshiomhole

    …submits governorship list to INEC

    The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, on Friday blasted governors of Imo and Ogun states, Rochas Okorocha and Ibukunle Amosun describing them as embarrassments to the ruling party.

    This came barely 24 hours after the two governors renewed their attacks on the APC chairman.

    While Okorocha claimed on Thursday that the fortunes of the APC had witnessed a downturn since Oshiomhole took over as national chairman, Amosun alleged that the party chairman and his cohorts were working towards handing over Ogun to “a gang of expansionists.”

    In an apparent response to the two governors, Oshiomhole described their personal attacks on his person as a direct result of their failure to foist undemocratic processes on the party.

    Specifically, he described governor Okorocha as “an embarrassment” to the APC with his failed attempt to elicit APC’s support to help him build “a political dynasty” as well as his needless personal feud with the institution of the church in his state.

    Oshiomhole spoke at a media briefing in Abuja, on Friday.

    He said for the avoidance of doubt, the party’s National Working Committee had met and upheld the outcome of the party primaries conducted by the Ahmed Gulak-led panel sent to the state by the NWC to conduct the exercise.

    The national chairman said, “Governor Rochas Okorocha, the chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum is a beneficiary of the court process, we rescued him. The primary conducted by my predecessor completely swept governor Okorocha out of the system-from ward, local government to the state.

    “What I am not able to do for Governor Okorocha is to assist him with the instrument of the APC to help him to build a political dynasty.”

    Consequently, he said, “We have prepared the name of Sen. Hope Uzodinma and submitted to the INEC.

    “If governor Rochas chose to relocate to the Villa and use the grounds of Villa to try to intimidate me to create a dynasty, I won’t accept it. I will uphold the truth in the best interest of the APC members and indeed of the APC people in Imo State. The truth does not require a supporters’ club to stand, it has its own legs, and it can stand.”

    In the case of Ogun State, the APC national chairman said the state governor was trying to act like an emperor. He said the APC under his leadership did not have a place for emperors.

    He accused the governor of attempting to lord it over the majority of party members in the state by brazenly imposing candidates for virtually all elective positions in the state.

    According to Oshiomhole, the governor held a stakeholders meeting as required by the APC National Executive Committee but went on to do the bizarre.

    Oshiomhole said, “At the meeting, this is no secret, I expect that some of your media houses will have video clips of what transpired at that meeting because it wasn’t a closed-door meeting, it was an open meeting. Governor Amosun in his wisdom decided to introduce ‘third element’ which didn’t feature in the resolutions of the National Executive Council.

    “He announced that Ogun State was going to adopt consensus and he proceeded to define what in his view constitute a consensus.

    “And having defined it to mean the pronouncement of the governor, he went on to announce what, according to him, represents a consensus candidate. He announced one Akinlade as the next governor. He proceeded to announce another gentleman, whom he said would be the deputy governor, consensus!

    “He went on to proclaim himself as the next senator through consensus and he says the current senator in his own Senatorial zone, Senator Tejuoso, will step aside so that he, Ibikunle Amosun, at the end of his tenure as governor of Ogun State, will proceed to the Senate. According to him, this is his own consensus.

    “He went on to also announce that the second Senator also, from Ogun State will step aside and another gentleman will come in place of that senator. And according to him, this pronouncement is a consensus.”

    Oshiomhole further said, “Not done, governor Amosun went on to announce a particular gentleman, who will be the next Speaker. He went on to announce another one who will be the next deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly.

    “Governor Amosun, according to his own definition of consensus, also unilaterally pronounced that of the eight seats of House of Representatives members, seven will not return according to him, only one will return. This he claimed is a consensus.

    “He went on to list other members of the House of Assembly who will seek re-election and those who will not seek re-election. All through, he announced about 40 names which according to him constitute consensus.”

    The APC chairman described Amosun’s actions as “undemocratic, immoral and an abuse of power.”

    He also said, “Our constitution does not recognise emperors. There are not emperors in the APC, if anybody attempts to invent himself as an emperor, it will be an enterprise in futility.

    “Based on our rules, we have since conducted primaries and submitted the name of the winner, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to INEC for the purpose of the forthcoming governorship election that for me has concluded that matter.”

    On the Supreme Court judgment with respect to Rivers State, he said “As a political party we respect the judiciary, we also appreciate the truth and the facts. Democracy is basically about the celebration of the rule of law not the rule of might. If it is rule of might people like me, who both vertically and horizontally challenged, cannot survive. So, as a party we believe in the rule of law.

    “And based on this commitment, which is not really a choice, we are obliged to respect the rule of law. And at the heart of that is total obedience to the letter and to the spirit of judicial findings. And judicial findings are not meant to be convenient. “In a democracy, they are orders which are meant to be obeyed. Therefore, the judgment by the supreme court in which from the first to the last page of the judgment is very clear that the Supreme Court has nullified the ward, local and state congresses that were done by my predecessor in Rivers State.

    “It also nullified the state and the local government congresses that were done because according to the findings by the Supreme Court, those congresses were done in spite of a subsisting Court Order.

    “What is important is that, as things stand, the highest court of the land has pronounced that those congresses did not meet the requirements of the law. And therefore they are not valid.

    He added, “As a law-abiding party, we have accepted the decision of the Supreme Court, and we will call a meeting in no distant future of all the stakeholders in Rivers State to prepare them and to put the necessary machinery in place to conduct fresh ward congresses across all the wards in Rivers State, and of course, thereafter conduct the state executive congress in line with the provisions of the constitution of the All Progressives Congress. These, we have to do in full obedience of the judgment of the Supreme Court.”

    Oshiomhole also apologised to the judiciary for the attack on the High Court in Port-Harcourt but said the thugs who took part in the attack were neither members of the APC nor did they enjoy the party’s support.

    The APC national chairman, however, assured Nigerians that his party would defeat the candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the next year presidential election.

     

  • Imo Govt. reacts to report on Okorocha, Nwosu’s defection to SDP

    The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Imo State, Sam Onwuemeodo has stated that the Governor, Rochas Okorocha and Ugwumba Uche Nwosu are not defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC) describing the rumor as ‘cock and bull’ story.

    Onwuemeodo in a press statement on Thursday said barely 48 hours to the submission of the Governorship and House of Assembly Candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by Political Parties, “the known fraudsters in Imo politics who have sneaked into Imo APC have come up with the cheap and unfounded rumor of Governor Rochas Okorocha and Ugwumba Uche Nwosu leaving APC for SDP.

    Their first claim was ADC”. Some factions in the state chapter of the party is not comfortable with the choice of Ugwumba Uche Nwosu as the governorship flag bearer in the 2019 general election for being a son in-law to the incumbent governor, Okorocha.

    “Like we had intoned, this baseless rumor was manufactured by these fraudsters and been marketed by their agents on the social media.

    “Nobody builds a befitting house and abandon it for those who are facing criminal charges for issuance of Dud Cheques and failure to declare their assets.

    Rochas Okorocha is the ‘landlord’ of Imo APC in particular and that of the South-East in general. And he has the onerous task of ensuring that those recruited to destroy the Party in the State and indeed in the South-East do not have their way.

    “With the facts on ground, Uche Nwosu is the only one that has a valid claim to make with regard to the question of who is the governorship Candidate of APC for Imo State. And nobody would expect such a person to leave the party for someone who has nothing tangible to hold unto.

    Those who are still in doubt about what the situation should be in the case of Imo APC should read INEC’s decision on Ogun State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Candidates’ list”.

    The statement further added that; “For the cock and bull story of SDP or ADC, people should disregard such weightless and unfounded social media creation as there is no cause for alarm”.

    Okorocha meets Buhari

    Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha,on THursday [today] had a meeting inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Okorocha is one of the state governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress who are said to be dissatisfied with the outcome of the party’s primaries.

    Though the agenda of the meeting was not made public, it is believed to be in continuation of the President’s ongoing efforts to resolve the post-primaries crisis.