APC crises: Tinubu is ignorant, 5 million persons have left APC, says Okorocha

Embattled Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Thursday berated the National Leader of the All Progressive Congress APC, Bola Tinubu for throwing his weight behind the party’s national Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

“No, may be he is being misinformed, if he is properly informed he will not say what Oshiomole is doing is the right thing” adding that “ already the APC lost 5 million persons since he took over”

Okorocha who is also the Chairman of the APC Governors Forum said it was wrong for Tinubu to have backed Oshiomohole, as over 5 million members have left the party since he ( Oshiomohole) became the party Chairman.

Speaking to State Houses Correspondents after meeting with President Muhammmadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Thursday, Okorocha however, absolved President Buhari from the crises rocking the party, saying that Oshiomohole had no backing of the Presidency for his actions

READ ALSO: APC spokespersons disagree over Oshiomhole bribery scandal

According to Okorocha “ I am here to clear the air that the presidency is behind what Oshiomole is doing in some of the states and which has affected our party negatively; and from my understanding from Mr President, there is no such directive for Oshiomole to do anything illegal or create any sort of injustice”

“ So, Oshiomole is on his own in this whole thing. There is no presidency’s support for him to refused candidates who won elections and give wrong candidates who didn’t win election”

The party has been engulfed in several crises resulting from the recent party primaries, with aggrieved members blaming the National Working Committee of the party for inconsistencies in laying down rules and guidelines fir the primaries.

They also accused the Adams Oshiomhole led NWC of imposition of candidates who are regarded as unpopular at the grassroots, an allegation the National Chairman has denied
“ Haven just met the President, l can authoritatively tell you that the National Chairman does not have the backing of the Presidency in all that he is doing that is causing crises in the party”

Okorocha had stormed the Presidential Villa to protest rejection of his anointed candidate for the Imo gubernatorial election, Uche Nwosu

The visit was not unconnected with the decision by the APC national working Committee to substitute his preferred candidate and son – in law, Uche Nwosu, as the Imo state candidate of the APC.

The NWC of the party is said to have concluded plans to replace Nwosu with Hope Uzodinnma in preference for the Ahmed Gulak committee which had conducted and returned Hope Uzodinnma as the duly elected candidate.

He declared that Oshiomole cannot be standing on Hope Uzodinma “ because that man did not win election”
“ You cannot compare somebody who won 265,000 votes with somebody who won 7,000 votes. He (Hope Uzodinma) never won election and you cannot imposed a candidate who is unacceptable to the people to the people, that is how serious the matter is now. So he (Oshiomole) should do the right thing and I have advised himself severally to do the right thing before he creates more disaffections in our party”he said
The National Chairman of the APC Adams Oshiomhole while speaking with State House Correspondents on Wednesday had assured that the party will do what is right in handling the current crises rocking the party over the primaries

This is just as the Oshiomohole led NWC has also received the backing of the party’s national leader, Bola Tinubu

Tinubu said the party members surrendered their rights to the elected executives, to avoid conflict, to avoid domination, to avoid abuses of power.
“ we surrendered our rights, all rights to the National Working Committee headed by Adams Oshiomohole.”

“We agreed that the National Working Committee should set up electoral bodies to supervise various state congresses and elections. ‘We signed off for it’. So, if it is not in our individual favour, so be it. We gave three options, consensus, where there is no consensus because if you are more than two or three and you cannot agree to one candidate, you go to the next level”

Tony Ailemen, Abuja