By Chidiebere Onyemaizu
Though Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha has denied scheming a return to the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and vowed not to leave the All Progressives Congress, APC, for anybody following his complete lose of the party’s structure in the state, competent sources insist the governor is only maintaining a straight and bold face.
This magazine has been informed that considering the manner he ditched APGA, the party on which crest he rode to power in 2011, the governor knew he and his son inlaw may not be re-admitted into the party and thus never really factored in APGA in his plan B following his overthrow in Imo APC.Rather, Action Alliance, AA, which he romanced briefly before making a detour to the back to the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, and then movement to APGA before setting sight on APC, remains high on his permutations.
The Social Democratic Party, SDP and African Democratic Congress, ADC recently endorsed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, are also said to be on Okorocha’s card. Sources close to the “Allied Forces”, as Imo APC stakeholders who successfully upstaged Okorocha in the just concluded party congresses in the state are known, told The Source that the governor can never regain the momentum in the Imo APC. Said he: “He is now a king without a crown; a king without a kingdom. As far as Imo APC is concerned; Okorocha is just an empty shell. If he deludes himself thinking the national leadership of our party will reverse the outcome of the congresses that rendered him a sitting duck, the governor must be having malaria dreams. He has totally and permanently lost out”
The revolt against Okorocha by the APC in Imo was stemmed from his insistent on imposing his Son-inlaw, Uche Nwosu who also doubles as his Chief of Staff, as next governor of the state.Imo politicians across parties decried the move and lamented Nwosu as governor will be a continuation of the Okorocha governorship by proxy.
Before the “ coup” that stopped him, governor Okorocha had boasted he had the APC and Imo on his pocket and that nothing and nobody would stop his Son inlaw from becoming governor.
Meanwhile, political analysts opine that governor Okorocha’s conduct as governor and the dictatorial manner he piloted the affairs of the party in the state, including his insistence on his Son in-law as successor hasinflicted irredeemable damage on the APC, not only in Imo but in the entire South east geo political zone. Said Betrand Onyebuagu, a social affairs analyst: “Being the only APC governor in the South east, Okorocha is something of face of the party in the zone and the only important link between Igbos and the APC but the governor’s conducts and utterance which in most cases are at variance with the Igbo values and political interest contribute to the continued rejection of APC by the people of South east”
Successful dismantling of Okorocha notwithstanding, a party source confided in the Magazine that there are fears among the Imo APC stakeholders that a rebound PDP will likely latch on the polarization of the party in the state to take back power in next year’s guber election especially as there are speculations that the state chapter of the party are in talks with the SDP and ADC over possible synergy to oust APC from the Imo state Government House. However, another party source explained that several blocs within the Imo APC that are neither aligned to Okorocha nor the “Allied forces” are tilting towards APGA and may eventually collapse into the party or stay in the APC and sabotage it while working for the emergence of APGA governor next year.
