OKOROCHA, UZODIMMA RIFT DEEPENS OVER 2023 PRESIDENTIAL AMBITION
The clamour to have Nigeria President of Igbo extraction in 2023 is heating up the political environment of Imo State as former Governor of the State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, has persistently accused his successor, Governor Hope Uzodimma of sponsoring reports in the media that he (Okorocha) is unfit to be President of Nigeria.
It’s pertinent to recall that last week one Chief Osmond Nkeoma, who claimed to be National Organizing Secretary of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, had issued a media statement alleging that “Okorocha is unfit to be President of Nigeria”.
Okorocha who’s embittered over the public statement accused Governor Uzodimma of sponsoring what he described as media campaign of calumny and blackmail against him.
However, it’s important to inform that Uzodimma and Okorocha have been on war path since the Supreme Court pronounced Uzodimma Governor of Imo State on January 14. 2020 .
Several issues are said to be tearing the relationship between the duo apart after they had temporarily ‘united” and worked assiduously to cut short the Rebuild Imo administration of Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha whom INEC declared winner of the state 2019 gubernatorial election under the political platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) through the Supreme Court verdict.
Obviously, their differences border on ego and power tussle especially as it concerns who controls the soul of Imo APC, and other personal “agreements” reached which Uzodimma said he bluntly refused to honour after the deed was done.
Uzodinma had said that there will be no disagreement with his predecessor if he stops seeing himself as still the Governor of the State and stop making undue interferences in his Shard Prosperity mantra administration.
Unfortunately,the intensity of the feud, increased last week when local government chairmen and councilors, elected during Okorocha’s reign as governor vowed to take over the headquarters of the 27 local governments in the State this Monday November 30th.
They anchor their action on the verdict of Federal High Court, Owerri which ordered their reinstatement but unfortunately last Friday a High Court sitting in Owerri and presided over by Justice Njamanze declared the tenure of the aggrieved former Local Government Chairmen and Councillors illegal and even asked them to refund all the salaries and allowances they collected while in office, saying it is unconstitutional for then Governor Okorocha to have conducted Councillorship elections in 644 autonomous communities of the state as against the 305 constitutionally approved INEC Wards.
Okorocha in his latest salvo through a statement by his Media Adviser, Chief Samuel Onwuemedo, accused Uzodimma of sponsoring “the pronouncement by eminent Igbo sons and daughters from the five South-East States, operating under the aegis of the Movement for the Actualization of the Nigeria President of Igbo extraction (Manipe)) who stormed Okorocha’s Owerri residence on Monday, Nov. 16, 2020, to urge him to run for the 2023 Presidency and to inform him that they had adopted him as the Consensus Candidate for the position”
The former governor who is the Senator representing Orlu Senatorial Zone is believed to be eyeing the Presidency in 2023, though he is yet to officially announce his ambition but his body language speaks volume.
According to him, Okorocha said his predecessor is after him and not to govern the State and vehemently frowned at alleged media attacks against his person and his ambition which he alleged that Imo State Government is financing.
“The government is fighting everybody and every institution. And arresting, detaining and arraigning Imo Citizens at random. Imo is not known for all these. The governor should change style and be focused” Okorocha alleged.
