Spokesperson of the All Progressive Congress, APC in the South East Osita Okechukwu has blamed Imo State Governor Rochas Okorochas as the reason why Igbo sons and daughters are not occupying national executive positions in the party.
Okechuwkwu was responding to the statements credited to the Imo Governor published in the media, where he was quoted as saying that by his participation in the recently concluded presidential primaries, he had been able to prove that the president can come from any part of the country.
Ostensibly irked by Okorocha’s statement, Okechukwu in a statement he issued on Sunday said Okorocha should know he was not going to make any headway in the primaries in view of the fact that It is the understanding of APC that the president should come from the north.
Speaking he said; “May I ask His Excellency if the distortion facts more important than the collective interest of the marginalized Ndigbo ? His Excellency’s statement is one of self denial for rather than apologising to Ndigbo for his gambit, which made Ndigbo to lose the national chairmanship of the APC and placed us in a weak position to vie for Vice President; he is regrettably justifying the unjustifiable.
“One had thought that as a leader he could have placed the collective interest of Ndigbo above his Nollywood show, since he is quite aware of the position of the party as regards zoning. For the avoidance of doubt, in a South East Caucus meeting at His Excellency, Dr Ogboninya Onu’s residence at Abuja in July, 2014, some of us agreed that he is eminently qualified to vie for presidency, but given the prevailing understanding that the presidency is going North, we should vie for chairmanship and vice presidential slots, waiting for the next eight years when it is coming South.
“He refused and boasted that he is going to win the presidential primary. I personally narrated to him that zoning, like every convention has its moral weight, the North having patriotically zoned the presidency to the South. I further persuaded him to go back to Imo State and conclude the good works he is doing so as to present a good legacy, when the rotation comes South, the South West and South South having occupied the coveted presidency respectively since our return to civil rule in 1999.
“I canvassed that Dr Onu should be supported for chairmanship. One therefore challenges our dear Governor Okorocha to openly apologize to Ndigbo for throwing away the golden opportunity we had to produce either chairman or Vice President if he had listened to reason; rather than rationalizing irrational disposition of his.
“In sum, Ndigbo should hold our leader, Governor Okorocha responsible for our marginalization in the APC; not our brothers from the South South or South West who strategically plotted how best to be part of the Buhari-Bandwagon Vehicle for Salvation.”
