Vice president Yemi Osinbajo may have become targets of Northern irredentists that see him as not fitting into their plot to retain power in the North come 2023. Besides, he may allgedly not fit into the Ruga project, and may have to be checkmated.
For the past weeks, rumors have been flying around that the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, is being regarded as an anti-fulani man, and that his allegedly perceived ambition to rule the country after the incumbent must be nipped in the bud. This has been dismissed by those, particularly from the south west, who strongly believe that the Vice president is strongly rooted as a loyal protégé of President Buhari. But recent happenings tend to lend credence to the rumors.
The Presidency Monday had dissolved the economic advisory team headed by Osinbajo to reconstitute a new one that will be reporting directly to the President. This has made the Vice President more redundant, since he will have little to do under the new arrangement. Rumors are also rife that the removal of the economy from him is only the beginning of his humiliation. “In the near future, the National Emergency Management agency, NEMA, and the Social Investment Program, SIP, will be pulled from under him. These are agencies he statutorily chairs. But you know that the VP is only a spare tire and can only do what he is told by the president. And he stands as an obstacle to powerful Northern forces that are hell bent on retaining power in the North come 2023. As for (Bola} Tinubu, we shall see”, a source had told this magazine over the weekend.
Both NEMA and SIP may be moved to the newly created Ministry of Humanitarian affairs.
Part of the reasons, the magazine was told, is the new Ruga drive which he will be unwilling to be part of. This Magazine had reported that the Ruga issue was to accommodate Fulanis who were allegedly brought to Nigeria in the wake of 215 elections to facilitate the removal of President Jonathan from office. When Jonathan left, it became difficult to decide what to do with them, and, after being neglected by the government, they formed the nucleus of terrorism in the guise of herdsmen attacks and kidnapping as part of their self help strategy. This was allegedly why the government is weak in trying to deal with them. So the Ruga settlements were muted as a way of integrating them within the enclave called Nigeria.
Recently, government gleefully announced that Ruga will settle all Fulanis in Nigeria, since according to them, all Fulanis are Nigerian, no matter where they come from.In a recent interview with Channels television, Governor Bala of Bauchi confirmed this.
When asked why Nigeria should accommodate Fulanis who are not Nigerians, this was his answer:
“We are already accommodating them. Do you delineate and then know who is not a Fulani man from Nigeria? They are all Nigerians, because I said their identity, their own citizenship is Nigerian, even though we have relations all over the world, all over Africa. And so presumably they are Nigerians.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will resume the trial of former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Peter Fayose, on October 21 at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The EFCC is prosecuting Fayose over alleged cases of fraud and money laundering to the tune of N9.6 billion.
Fayose was earlier arraigned by the anti-graft agency on October 22, 2018, before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, alongside a private company, Spotless Investment Limited, on an 11 count charge of fraud and money laundering offences.
Fayose had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail on Oct. 24, 2018, in the sum of N50 million with sureties in like sum.
The defendant was subsequently re-arraigned before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, on July 2, 2019.
He had also pleaded not guilty to the charges and was allowed to enjoy the earlier bail granted.
Following his re-arraignment beforeJustice Aneke, he was granted leave to travel abroad for medicals.
The court had, however, ordered that his International passport be returned to the court, on or before Sept. 16.
Aneke had then adjourned the case until Sept. 16, 17, 18, and 19 and also to Oct. 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 for continuation of trial.
Meanwhile, the case will now come up on Oct. 21, as Judges are away for the annual conference, which takes place after the annual long vacation of the court.
Recall that during the pendency of the charge before Justice Olatoregun, EFCC had opened trial on Nov. 19, 2018, and had so far called 13 witnesses out of the 15 listed.
However, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice Adamu Abdu-kafarati, had transferred the case from Olatoregun, to Aneke, following a petition by the EFCC.
During trial before Olatoregun, the prosecution had called witnesses, from several commercial banks, as well as a former Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro.
According to the charge, on June 17, 2014, Fayose and one Abiodun Agbele were said to have taken possession of the sum of N1.2 billion, for purposes of funding his gubernatorial election campaign in Ekiti, which sum they reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.
Fayose was alleged to have received a cash payment of the sum of five million dollars, (about N1.8 billion) from the then Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, without going through any financial institution.
He was also alleged to have retained the sum of N300 million in his account and took control of the aggregate sum of about N622 million which sum he reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.
Fayose was alleged to have procured De Privateer Ltd and Still Earth Ltd, to retain the aggregate sum of N851 million which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.
Besides, the defendant was, alleged, to have used the aggregate sum of about N1.6 billion to acquire properties in Lagos and Abuja, which sums he reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.
He was also, alleged, to have used the sum of N200 million, to acquire a property in Abuja, in the name of his elder sister Moji Oladeji, which sum he ought to know, also, forms crime proceeds.
The Nigeria Beach Soccer team, known as the Beach Eagles, have been drawn alongside world champions, Brazil, Portugal and Oman for the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Championship in Paraguay.
At the draw held in Asuncion, Paraguay’s capital, Nigeria will start its campaign at the world cup with Portugal in Group D.
Sixteen teams are participating and competing for the coveted trophy, which has over the years eluded Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America.
Drawn into Group A, the hosts, Paraguay, will play Japan in their tournament opener on Thursday 21st November. Switzerland and USA are the other two sides in the group.
Five-time competition winners, Brazil, kick off their campaign a day later against Oman.
Runners-up at the last two world finals, the ever-entertaining Tahiti will kick off against Italy, while two-time world champions Russia will do likewise against Senegal.
Olawale Isiaka, the captain of the Beach Eagles, said that Nigeria is drawn in a tough group that has two world cup winners, Brazil and Portugal, but he is optimistic that the Eagles could spring up a surprise.
After struggling to manage the economy without an economic team, President Muhammadu Buhari Monday bowed to criticism to constitute an economic team to advice and handle economic matters.
Critics have accused Buhari of having no interest in the economy, resulting in policies that harm the economy more than help it.
The presidency has so many advisers on media and propaganda but none for the economy, thereby giving the impression that he values propaganda more than the economic well being of the country. The Economic management team, cobbled together by the Vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, appeared to have little on no impact on the economic growth of the country.
In a statement by Femi adesina, the presidential special adviser on media, the presidency is said to have decided to change all that. Members of the team included Bismark Rewane, a household name in Money and Capital market, and Chukwuma Soludo, former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN governor.
Below is a copy of the release by Adesina.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has constituted an Economic Advisory Council (EAC) made up of the following:
1. Prof. Doyin Salami – Chairman
2. Dr. Mohammed Sagagi – Vice-Chairman
3. Prof. Ode Ojowu – Member
4. Dr. Shehu Yahaya – Member
5. Dr. Iyabo Masha – Member
6. Prof. Chukwuma Soludo – Member
7. Mr. Bismark Rewane – Member
8. Dr. Mohammed Adaya Salisu – Secretary (Senior Special Assistant to the President, Development Policy)
This advisory council will replace the current Economic Management Team (EMT) and will be reporting directly to the President.
The Economic Advisory Council (EAC) will advise the President on economic policy matters, including fiscal analysis, economic growth and a range of internal and global economic issues working with the relevant cabinet members and heads of monetary and fiscal agencies.
The EAC will have monthly technical sessions as well as scheduled quarterly meetings with the President. The Chairman may, however, request for unscheduled meetings if the need arises.
Buoyed by the apparent success of the invitation of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, to the European Union summit, Nnamdi Kanu has claimed he has been invited to lead a delegation to the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday.
In a statement by the group spokesperson, Emma Powerful, he said that even though the invitation was given to their leader, details of the movement will be kept under wraps because of government penchant to work against their activities.
Many has dismissed this as part of the normal IPOB propaganda.
“Going by the relentless engagement of the international community by our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, we the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) consider it imperative to inform the great people of Biafra, friends of Biafra and lovers of freedom that in keeping with the promise of our leader during his last outing at the EU, he will be leading a delegation to the UN office in Geneva Switzerland on Tuesday 18th September 2019″, the statement said.
“As usual details of these meetings will not be subject to public disclosure as we are well aware of the lengths the corrupt, fraudulent and election stealing cabal will go to hamstring and frustrate our efforts.
“Not many people know that Nigerian Ambassador to the EU personally rang Seb Dance the Member of European Parliament that invited our leader to the EU, to try bullying him into cancelling the event.”
“Anytime we make public our critical diplomatic engagements, the corrupt Nigerian Government has used their considerable wealth and clout of sovereignty to cajole, buy-off, bribe, intimidate and threaten their business interests in Africa.
“Nigeria it must be said, sent two female diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to observe our leader’s presentation at the European Parliament.
“Our leader even walked across to these diplomats after the event to thank them for coming.
“Any Nigerian or agent of Nigeria that wants to know the outcome of the Brussels outing should ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after all two of their diplomats were there to hear our leader speak.
The presence of Nigerian diplomats at Brussels could not be independently confirmed.
Embattled former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, is laughing at the Imo State Government, and Imolites who are scandalized that he illegally took a large expanse of Government Land to build one of his schools, the Rochas Foundation School. He says he committed no offence acquiring the government land.
His main reason for seeing nothing wrong in that is “I am providing free education to children.”
In an interview with The Nation (Sunday), where he discussed the on-going investigation, of him, by the EFCC, he took exception to the allegations. Okorocha, who is now the Senator representing Imo West, had acquired the land, in the State capital, belonging to the Imo Broadcasting Corporation. The acres of land was meant for the purpose of building staff quarters for the Corporation’s staff.
But Okorocha rationalised: “They claimed that I used government land to build Rochas Foundation Schools that provide free education to children. How has that become an offence? I have told them that if they want the Rochas Foundation School, and they can run it, I am willing to give it to government.”
He, also, faulted the allegations over, and the investigation of, the Eastern Palm University which he located in his village. “I built a PPP University in Imo state where government has shares. If you go there, about 1,320 students from Rochas Foundation Schools across the country are there free. I thought I was contributing my quota to the development of my fatherland. But now, it has become an offence”
But many Imo stakeholders are miffed by Okorocha’s submissions on the Eastern Palm University.
An elder asked: “If there are 1,320 students from the Rochas Foundation Schools across the country studying there free, it means the University is an extension of his personal Schools across the country. The truth is that the government has little or no shares there. It is his personal university, built with Imo people’s money. From the name, you will name. Many of his concerns either have Eastern, or Palm. Check it out.”
Answering a question on the University from one of the Senior Journalists of Imo origin he invited to Owerri a couple of years back, Okorocha had said that the IMSG fund in the University was about N650 million.
He explained that he wanted to relocate the Imo State University, Owerri, to Okpoko, his village on assumption of office, but was met with very stiff opposition from Imolites, especially, from Owerri zone. He was forced to jettison the idea. But by that time, he said, his government had already spent the sum of N650 million on the plan. According to him, that was when the idea of the Eastern Palm University occurred to him. He, therefore, converted the N650 million already spent on the site to government shares in the new University.
The meaning is that Imo State has an interest worth, only, N650 million in the University, which amounts to little or nothing.
But reliable sources at the Imo State Ministry of Education, have put a lie to Okorocha’s claim on the University. They insist that the University was built with billions of Naira of Imo people. One of them alleged, ” The first tranch, I can confirm, is Three Billion Naira. This was followed by other billions which figures I cannot remember exactly now”.
Okorocha also faulted the petition over a number of his concerns which necessitated the EFCC investigation of him. He boasted that he had been a successful business man before this time, and even lost count of the number of properties he has.
Okorocha: “One of the allegations is that my wife built a hotel using government money. The EFCC are asking my wife to prove how she was able to come about that. I told them this is my wife. Rochas, before being governor was bigger than Rochas the Governor. I don’t know how many property I can count because I can’t even remember my property in Abuja.
But, they have blindfolded people not to remember Rochas of before, Rochas that ran for Presidential election three times, the Rochas Foundation that is building schools all over the country, with over 2000 children. It costs me nothing less than N2 billion every year to run Rochas Foundation. They said my wife has to prove how she came about the hotel. Meanwhile, my wife has two hotels in Jos about over 15 years ago. She has a hotel called Lamond Hotels. The Tropicana shopping complex near NNPC Towers belongs to my wife, and by today’s value, that property is worth not less than N15 billion in the market.”
He regretted that his children invested in Imo instead of in Abuja, where, his daughter’s two schools under investigation, by the EFCC, would have generated more money for her.
He said: “Why should my daughter build a school in Owerri that is being investigated? If you talk of building a school where people can pay, it is in Abuja.
“My intention was to sell 50 per cent of my property and return them to Owerri to help my people so that their economy can grow”
Okorocha had been under the EFCC investigation even before he left office as a governor. Days before the governorship election, the Commission intercepted the sum of N5 billion and stopped him from its withdrawal thus, saving it for the state.
In the past weeks, the EFCC have sealed a number of his concerns, and secured an interim forfeiture Order from the court.
But, last week, the court lifted the Order, with a warning to Okorocha, not to sell any of the properties as the EFFC investigation is still very much on course with its investigation.
Okorocha’s government is, also, under probe by Imo State Government in respect of alleged land grabbing and questionable contracts and their execution.
Like most Nigerians, I have never met Allen Onyema, the Chairman of Air Peace Airline, before.
I may not even be able to pick him out in a crowd.
All I know is that he founded the Air Peace Airline, which now bestrides Nigeria’s skyline like a collosus, and quietly pushed out Arik Air which proudly occupied that position a couple of years back.
Let me confess that even though I fly Air Peace every now and then, I am not its huge fan. And this, for no other reason than I’m not adventurous when it comes to the choice of the airlines I patronize – locally or internationally.
But, locally, I’m sold on Arik.
I am a Lufthansa person. And, even though I fly often, I am, usually, a nervous wreck in turbulent weather, no matter how slight, I have a childlike trust in Lufthansa. I transferred that trust to Arik.
When Arik first made its majestic entry into our skyline, it seduced us with its fleet of modern aircraft, a couple of them, “tear rubber.” But for me, the icing on the cake, then, was that a subsidiary of Lufthansa was maintaining its fleet. If it is being maintained by a Lufthansa subsidiary, I reasoned, then, it’s okay.
I bonded with many of Arik’s staff members, the crew members in particular, so much so that they know my state of mind during turbulence, and are always on hand to, both at once, tease and reassure me.
But today, I am doing what I rarely do on this page. Here I am, giving a deserved salute to Allen Onyema, and by extension, his airline, Air Peace.
Allen Onyema, Chairman of Air Peace, Welcoming South Africa Returnees.
When Onyema founded Air Peace in 2013, I took little or no notice. But, I was forced to when the Airline’s fleet began to increase. And, I prayed it wouldn’t fall victim to the infectious disease which usually sends our domestic airlines to their early graves.
I began to have sympathy for the airline when the subtle blackmail against it over its ownership started. While some people swore it belonged to the former First Lady, Patience Goodluck Jonathan, perhaps, because she is proudly called Mama Peace, and that Onyema was fronting for her, others insisted that he was fronting for the former Aviation Minister, Senator Stella Oduah.
Nigeria has a thriving gossip and fabrication industry! Onyema know this, so he ignored them, and trudged on.
When he added a Boeing 777 to the fleet, I said to myself, this Airline has survived, and that, inspite of a number of subtle and not-too subtle obstacles thrown its way by regulatory bodies.
Today, Onyema and his Airline have made Nigeria proud. They have wiped shame off our faces. They have rendered to Nigerians a service their government, ordinarily, wouldn’t have, urgently, rendered to them.
When the Xenophobic attack on Nigerian citizens and other foreigners started, Onyema stood up to be counted. While the Nigerian Government spoke diplomatic language, Onyema took action. As the old saying goes, he took the bull by the horn. He offered to evacuate Nigerians who were willing to leave South Africa. With clearance from the Nigerian Government, he deployed his Boeing 777 to South Africa to bring them back, free of charge. It was at a huge cost to his business.
While Onyema was doing this, there were many Nigerians many people expected to either do something, or say something.
There, we all saw and watched, shocked, as the businesses of our brothers and sisters were looted. Their shops were vandalised, and set ablaze. They were beaten black and blue. Luckily, the Nigerian High Commissioner informed us that no Nigerian was killed. Yet, I expected outrage from every Nigerian.
Unless I missed it, I neither read, nor heard, any of our former Heads of State or former Presidents condemn South Africa. But, perhaps, they were engaged in behind-the-scene diplomacy.
I, also, never read any statement condemning the outrage in South Africa from any of our billionaire business men. Perhaps, they were considering their business interests in South Africa.
But, in all these, the loud silence from the former Governor of Imo State, now a Senator, Rochas Okorocha, shocks me most.
Okorocha, you would recall, was so enamoured with South Africa and its former President, Jacob Zuma, that he erected a life size statue of Zuma in Owerri. At the time Okorocha did this, Zuma was drenched in corruption allegations. He had, earlier, been involved in a sexual scandal with an HIV positive woman. Our country men, particularly, Okorocha’s Igbo stock, were being killed in South Africa, yet, that was the time Okorocha chose to celebrate Zuma in Imo. At the time, he said that honouring Zuma would stop South Africans from killing his Igbo brothers.
Not true. Less than two weeks later, two Igbo boys were killed in South Africa.
Now, in the instant case which attracted international outrage, Okorocha has said not a word. He is not outraged enough to ask Imo State Government to get rid of Zuma’s statue. Or ask his boys to arrange to do so. And, sadly too, Imo youths are not outraged enough to storm the place and destroy Zuma’s annoying statue.
Instead, like their counterparts across the country, they were ignorantly aiming at so called South African concerns in Nigeria. Bad business. South Africa has no concerns, as such, here. Those concerns are franchised. They are owned by Nigerians. So, for Nigerians, it was a loss, loss situation.
For the records, South Africa’s hostility towards Nigeria did not start today. The country and its black people have always disliked us inspite of the role Nigeria played towards their freedom and their liberation from the minority White South Africans.
Even though Nigeria is not a frontline state, Nigeria not only joined in the liberation fight, it carried their ‘wahala’ (problem) on its head. Many of their compatriots, including former President Thabo Mbeki, studied, for free, in our best universities. They carried Nigerian passports. Obasanjo was one of the world’s eminent persons who negotiated Nelson Mandela’s freedom.
When Mandela was released from prison, Nigeria was the first African country he visited to say thank you. He came with his, later, estranged wife, Winnie. As a young reporter, I covered that visit. General Ibrahim Babangida was the President. Mandela, pointing and smiling, at Winnie, said publicly, that but for Nigeria and, then First Lady, Maryam Babangida, Winnie would have “walked naked”, without a dress to put on. Mrs Babangida supplied all that.
From Lagos, we drove down to Obasanjo Farms where a dancing Obasanjo received Mandela and Winnie.
I was taken aback that when Mandela died, Nigeria had no role to play. Obasanjo did not even make a speech.
South Africa holds Nigeria in absolute contempt. It is the reason why its authority does nothing while its people slaughter and maim our people. It is the reason why its authority claim it’s not Xenophobia. It is the reason why South African Police look elsewhere while they deal with our people. It is, also, the reason why something as frivolous as “they are taking our women from us” would be a reason to maim, kill, loot and raze business premises and residences. And, South Africa is not remorseful.
For years, the Nigerian government played the nice guy. No longer. Mercifully, it’s talking tough now.
But it didn’t think of evacuating its citizens who wished to come back, until Onyema stepped in. He offered to evacuate them free of charge, with his hard earned money- over N280 million, he says. He risked his Boeing 777 to do so. What if South Africa had siezed it? And, inspite of the deliberate delay by South Africa to let those willing to leave to do so without a hitch, he parked the aircraft there, paying parking fees.
Now, our people are coming back in scores.They have found out, late, that whatever, and wherever, home is the best. I watched the returnees mob Onyema, and sang our National anthem, as he received them, and like him, I almost shed tears.
But our people should not take things for granted. Let them not think that somebody will come to their aide next time. It is important to behave oneself when one is in a foreign country. Abide by their laws. Forget about taking their women from them, there are serious allegations of drug peddling and other criminal activities levelled against some of our people in South Africa. These allegations cannot be ruled out, plus our people are loud and mouthy. You cannot stay in people’s country and, ride roughshod over them. Be calm, and do your legitimate business.
But, back to Allen Onyema, he has become Nigeria’s face, our real face, not that of 419 and cybercrime.Onyema is who, and what we are – compassionate, our brothers’ keeper. He is a patriot. A national hero. And deserves to be celebrated. We should. The Federal Government should bequeath him with a national honour. His airline should be supported.
As for me, he has won me over for Air Peace with his patriotism. I am re-assured that with him as the Chairman, Air Peace will not toy with our lives.
So, let me end this write-up by quoting what Onyema said after welcoming the first batch of returnees.
He said: “I put together over N280 million in order to bring these people back. Airpeace decided to bring them back free of charge.
“Nobody paid us a dime. We decided to do it free of charge for our country, and for our people.
“When I stepped into the aircraft to welcome them, they mobbed me, and started singing the Nigeria National Anthem.
“There was nobody there singing about separation. They felt proud to be Nigerians. They rose in unison. That drew tears to my eyes”.
Crude prices surged yesterday when drones attacked the oil fields in Iraq, raising the price to an unprecedented high in recent times, surging by $11.73 to close at $71.95.
The drones had attacked world’s biggest crude-processing facility located in Abqaiq and in Khurais, the kingdom’s second-biggest oil field.
Although no group has taken responsibility for the attack, fingers are cautiously being pointed at Iran, though the United States insists the culprits are known and they are waiting for the Iraqis to make pronouncements on the issue. Iran has vehemently denied involvement.
The surge seem to be pulling the Nigerian market out of crisis, as the 2019 budget was predicated on a benchmark of $60 per barrel. The new price ceiling hovers around $72 per barrel.
Last August, it had plummeted below the benchmark, creating anxieties in an economy that in recent times has been enmeshed in scandalous borrowing trend. The bears are having a marathon run at the stock market due largely to cautious divestment of foreign investors that saw no future in a regime that international media said has no recognizable economic plan.
Government had predicated the benchmark on the surge of October last year, when the price burped up to $86.67 per barrel.
Iraq promises to restore the facility in a few days, but it will take time before the plant comes into optimum productions.
The United States are expected to release their strategic reserves to cushion the surge effects, according to twits by President Trump on the issue.
Nigeria, despite being saddled with so many resources, are laid back on the pre-millenial reliance o n crude. Unfortunately, crude accounts for about 40% of earnings. But other earners are being neglected in favor of oil. Many presidents take umbrage in manning the Petroleum ministry, where they control the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, which has over the years ran an opaque accountability.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, has extended a hand of fellowship and unity to Allied Peoples Movement, APM, Governorship Candidate, Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade, urging him to return to the All Progressives Congress, APC from where he decamped to the APM.
In a statement after the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal affirmed his victory at the polls on March 9, Abiodun urged Akinlade to shelve further pursuit of legal challenge of the election, and embrace the APC he left, and unite with him to move the State forward.
In his words: “Our victory at the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is a victory of the rule of law. It is a validation of the people’s choice of me to serve the State by giving quality governance.
“I urge the Allied People’s Movement (APM) and its candidate to now leave behind the 2019 Gubernatorial Election. Him along with his supporters are free to return to our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), which they themselves left in the first place, and join hands with us on our #BuildingOurFutureTogether agenda.
“However, anyone who feels they don’t want to return should instead begin preparing for the 2023 elections.
“This victory couldn’t have been, without God and the depth, brilliance and dedication of my legal team led by Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN). I also appreciate the support given us by the leadership of the Ogun APC.
“I reassure the good people of Ogun State of our commitment to quality governance driven by inclusiveness, fairness and equity”.
It would be recalled that Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the former governor of the State formed the APM following the defeat of Akinlade, his candidate, at the APC primaries, which did not augur well with him.
He worked against his party, APC, for the Governorship position, supporting APM’s Akinlade, with other members of his caucus at the National House of Assembly, like Mikhail Kassim, cross -carpeting to APM.
Since the battle has been lost to APC in the State, Kassim has rejoined the APC, and has pledged support for Abiodun.
Given the pronouncements of former Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, then the Action Alliance, AA, which denied Ugwumba Uche Nwosu as its candidate in the Governorship election, may have been correct.
For Okorocha, Nwosu is a candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, not that of the AA.
Okorocha also revealed that in his campaigns, President Muhammadu Buhari’s name was a minus for him, instead of a plus.
Nwosu, Okorocha’s son-in-law contested for the governorship under the AA when the APC denied him the ticket in favour of Senator Hope Uzodinma.
Both Uzodinma and Nwosu lost the election to the former Deputy Speaker of the House, The Rt.Hon. Emeka Ihedioha. Both men and the candidate of APGA, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, are, however, at the Governorship Election Tribunal, Imo, challenging Ihedioha’s victory.
But speaking in an interview with the Nation (Sunday), Okorocha, who is confident of Nwosu’s victory at the Tribunal, revealed that Nwosu would return to the APC as soon as he becomes the Governor.
Expressing great disappointment in APC, and sadness over the treatment he alleges, was meted out to him by the party, he said: ” I worked hard to make Nwosu of AA the Governor. If Uche Nwosu wins the governorship seat, he will go back to the APC because that is his natural home”.
And, lamenting his fate in the APC where he is currently on suspension, Okorocha lamented that unlike his colleagues in the North, President Muhammadu Buhari’s name worked against him in the South East.
Okorocha:”I was about the only candidate that the name Buhari became a bad story for my campaign, unlike those from the North”.
Okorocha and his family are under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. He insists he would be vindicated, And wishes the law provided an opportunity where one could sue the EFCC when found innocent.
