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Tag: Imo State Governor

  • Christmas: Okorocha urges Christians to pray for 2019 elections

    Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has called on Christians to seize the opportunity of the Christmas celebration to pray for the success of the 2019 general elections.

    The governor noted that Christians should be in the forefront of the campaign for peace and unity of the country “since Christ had also preached about peace and unity”.

    He urged Christians to shun divisive tendencies.

    According to him, “with the sincere prayers of Christians in the country, the nation could move faster on the fast lanes of progress and development.

    He called for prayers for leaders at all levels especially for President Muhammadu Buhari, the governors, Local Government Chairmen, Security agencies, the Priests and Imams so that they could have God-given wisdom and knowledge to lead.

    The governor urged Christians in the State, in particular, to “love all not minding which religion one practices and do away with hatred and malice”.

  • Oshiomhole should learn how to talk -Okorocha

    Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha has cautioned the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole to apply caution in the way he speaks, especially about the party leaders.

    The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, in response to a statement credited to the National Chairman, said, “we have not read Oshiomhole’s statement but I don’t think any National Chairman of a party can say such a thing. He should be advised on how he speaks. He can’t be attacking the leaders of the party.

    Read Also:Okorocha, Amosun behaving like poor students of history- Oshiomhole

    “Take it from me; a party does not exist in a vacuum. There must be people to run the party. President Muhammadu Buhari has a high pedigree which Nigerians are happy of and Oshiomhole should learn from Mr. President.

    “We have not read it anywhere but we insist that it is not the best way to treat members of the party. Oshiomhole should learn to talk in a way that brings dignity to APC”.

  • Madumere remains impeached, says Okorocha

    Imo State governor,  Rochas Okorocha on Monday said that his embattled Deputy, Eze Madumere remains impeached until the determination of the Appeal against the High Court judgment that nullified his impeachment.

    The Imo governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary,  Sam Onwuemeodo,  stated that, “until the appeal is decided, Madumere remains impeached. And recognizing him as the Deputy-Governor of the State with the appeal pending would mean jeopardizing the appeal”.

    Okorocha was reacting to a statement credited to Madumere where he lampooned the governor for not recognising him (Madumere) during a recent event in the state.

    According to the statement,  “we have read a report in the media credited to the Former Deputy Governor of the State, Prince Eze Madumere quoting him to have said that he had appealed to Senator Osita Izunaso to forgive “Governor Rochas Okorocha’s embarrassing attitude during the mother’s funeral rites.

    “According to the report, what Madumere referred to as “the embarrassing attitude” of the governor was his non-recognition by the governor as the Deputy Governor of the State during the governor’s speech at the burial service of the mother of Senator Izunaso last weekend.

    Read also: Imo State move to end Osu caste system

    “As a matter of fact, the failure or inability of the governor to recognize Madumere as the Deputy-Governor of the State at that event was not an oversight. That was the proper thing to do because there is an existing appeal at the Appeal Court against the High Court Judgement that quashed the impeachment of Madumere by the State House of Assembly.

    “So until the appeal is decided, Madumere remains impeached. And recognizing him as the Deputy-Governor of the State with the appeal pending would mean jeopardizing the appeal. He should have known this fact and if he had asked his lawyer, he would have told him that the governor acted rightly in the circumstance”.

    It continued that,  “Madumere declared war against his benefactor or mentor because he wanted to be governor, using the issue of zoning as his bet. Today, Madumere is not the governorship Candidate of any Political Party nor the deputy governorship Candidate. He has no option than to support Hope Uzodinma, the APC Candidate who is from Orlu zone.

    “Those who had encouraged Madumere to fight the man who made him somebody, on the ground that they would make him governor have gone their ways and the Prince is not only on his own, but now staggering, thinking about which leg to put forward first.

    “It is left for the Public to ask Madumere why he is still keen in working with Governor Okorocha as his deputy after he had tried in vain to paint the same man black.

    “To us, Madumere remains impeached as Deputy-Governor until the appeal against the Judgement of the High Court that is in his favour is decided. He has acquired maggot infested firewood and by so doing has invited Agama Lizard to both breakfast, lunch and dinner. He does not have our sympathy again”.

  • Imo 2019: I will support Nwosu in any party- Okorocha

    …says aggrieved APC members will support Buhari

     

    Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha Tuesday said that he won’t stop his former Chief of Staff, Uche Nwosu from realizing his governorship ambition in any other political party other than the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    While reiterating that he (Okorocha) remains in APC, the governor however maintained that Nwosu will get his support in any party he chooses to run for the Imo governorship.

    Read Also:Imo APC ticket: I won’t succumb to threat – Nwosu

    He insisted that Nwosu remains his preferred governorship candidate, even though he may not be running under his party, the APC, describing the emergence of the APC governorship candidate, Senator Hope Uzodinma as the “worst imposition in Nigerian political history”.

    But the Imo governor assured reassured that his followers will deliver President Muhammadu Buhari, despite their grievances over the conduct of the (APC).

    According to him, “in the 2019 general election, we are going to vote for candidates and not political parties. I am in the best position to assess the candidates and I know that among all the governorship candidates, Nwosu remains the best. I have told Imolites to check the records of those clamoring to govern the state before voting for them.

    “What we saw in Imo APC was a clear case of injustice and the worst imposition in history. The party members are aggrieved and they will be moving to another party to pursue their ambitions but we are going to form alliance with whichever party they choose to deliver President Buhari”.

    He continued that, “what is happening in Imo APC is interesting and strange, a party known for uprightness, justice and fairness has exemplified by President Muhammadu Buhari, has been dented by the actions of the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole for whatever reasons he is yet to disclose.

    “I have been trying to manage the situation but I have no moral justification to stop the aggrieved candidates who felt shortchanged from realizing their ambitions in any other party but I have not left APC and does not intend to leave APC. But you must realize that in Imo we don’t play party politics but politics of individuals. People did not join APC because of anybody but because of me”.

    Nwosu when contacted assured that he will mobilize all the aggrieved APC members to work for President Buhari’s victory despite the provocation.

    Though silent on his next line of action towards actualizing his governorship ambition, Nwosu said that he remains the most popular governorship candidate in the state and will emerge the next governor of the state.

    He said, “the actions of the National Chairman will not affect our support for President Muhammadu Buhari. Our support and love for him transcends party affiliation, we are convinced that his reelection will be in the best interest of the Igbo in particular and Nigeria in general”.

  • Imo APC Primary: Okorocha calls for Gulak’s arrest

    …says kidnap claim laughable

    Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, Wednesday called for the arrest and prosecution of Ahmed Gulak over his “ignoble” role in the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship that led to the cancellation of the exercise.

    Gulak was the Chairman of the APC Governorship Primary Election Committee for Imo State but absconded after he rescheduled the primary which could not hold on the slated date, only to declare one of the governorship aspirants, Senator Hope Uzodinma as winner.

    Read Also:APC NWC endorses result of Lagos guber primary

    The Imo Governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, said, “We call for the arrest and prosecution of Alhaji Gulak because there is punishment for his anti-democratic action and his false claim of kidnap attempt. We must begin to tell men like Gulak and Senator Hope Uzodinma that it cannot be business as usual”.

    According to the statement, “Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, former Political Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan and of course, the Chairman of the disbanded Imo State Governorship Primary Election Committee had told the media on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 that he fled Owerri by 4am because agents of Governor Rochas Okorocha had attempted to kidnap him and three other members of the 12-member Committee. The media had reported what he told them.

    “If you ask me, men like Alhaji Gulak can’t build a nation. They not only constitute serious threat to our promising democracy but also danger to this great nation. Giving men like him national assignment like the one he was sent to Imo State to do was just licensing him to
    blackmail the nation and put our democracy to ridicule. And there are certain lies or actions a man who had been the Political Adviser to a former President of the nation should have overgrown, no matter the temptation”.

    The statement added that, “the childish tale of his attempted kidnap was just an afterthought. He knew he didn’t act well his part and was only trying to see how he could come out from the tight corner he had boxed himself into.

    “The man called Alhaji Ahmed Gulak flew into Owerri by 12:45pm on Monday, October 1, 2018, being the day slated for the guber primary. And let him publish his flight documents to prove us right or wrong. They went straight to the Police Headquarters where they deposited all
    the materials for the governorship primary.

    “After that, the committee members entered into a lengthy meeting with the candidates, stakeholders, and Heads of Security Agencies in the State. The meeting lingered till 6:30pm. At the end of the meeting, he announced that the primary would now hold on Tuesday, October 2, 2018.

    And reporters who were at the Police Headquarters waiting for the outcome of the meeting went and reported that the Imo primary would now hold on Tuesday, October 2, 2018. At the end, they went to their hotel to clean up and eat.

    “With all these activities, the courtesy call he was to pay on the governor with members of his committee could not take place till. 8:45pm that Monday. The courtesy call lasted for about an hour. All said and done, they left the Government House for their hotel at about 9:55pm.

    “They lodged at Rockview Hotel Owerri that shares fence with the Police Headquarters and the other end of the hotel, the Owerri Prison, with Soldiers on guard. The hotel is also close to the Government House Owerri with a team of Mobile Policemen on twenty-four hours duty.

    So, the question patriotic Nigerians should ask Alhaji Gulak is that, if you left Government House by 9:55pm and you claimed you fled Owerri by 4am, and considering the location of Rockview Hotel where they lodged, then, when and where did the kidnap attempt take place?

    “And why should he be kidnapped when the materials for the primary were kept at Police Headquarters. And of what value would have his kidnap served anybody since he didn’t have any material and the primary hadn’t been conducted.

    “It is now left for Nigerians to ask him where he got the results for which he declared Senator Hope Uzodinma winner. In fact, we do not subscribe to people talking about PDP when men like Gulak who left the party just few months ago act funny. It is a personal thing. It has
    nothing to do with PDP. Some people live. Some others exist. Those who just exist do not have souls, and for them, anything goes”.

    The Governor explained further that, “Ahmed Gulak and Hope Uzodinma had belonged to Alhaji Modu Sheriff’s faction of the PDP. That is the relationship between him and Hope Uzodinma. We also believe that those who sent him didn’t have this information. But even at that, a former
    Political Adviser to a Former President should have lived above board.

    “Do not also forget that a day before the Primary, Chief Hope Uzodinma who the Court had issued warrant of arrest against him for issuing billions of naira Dud cheque to a business partner had also claimed kidnap attempt against his person also by agents of the State Governor. They must be spirits to be escaping from these imaginary kidnap attempts. In fact, show me your friend, and I tell you who you are.

    “Finally, Hope Uzodinma is not a member APC in Imo State. He claimed to have joined the party six months ago. Even at that, he does not have any support in any Local Government in Imo State. We shall be shocked to see him stand in his Local Government, Oru East, and we see
    twenty APC members queuing behind him. He does not believe in the ballot box.

    “He was one of those who in 2015 labeled Okorocha Alhaji in Government House, Okoro-Hausa and that he was planning with President Muhammadu Buhari to Islamize Igboland, all because of APC.

    “And few years after, he has come to cause trouble in the Party and to reap where he didn’t
    sow.  We do not think it is the right thing. No landlord vacates his house for an unfaithful and unreliable tenant”.

  • Imo shutdown as youths hold solidarity rally for Buhari, Nwosu

    Thousands of Imo youths Friday held a solidarity rally in support of the reelection bid of President Muhammadu Buhari and governorship ambition of former Chief of Staff to the Imo state Governor, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu.

    The youths adorning customized T-shirts embossed with President Buhari and Nwosu’s pictures marched through major streets in the state capital, chanting pro-Buhari slogans.

    Read Also:Police rescue woman’s body from abductors in Imo

    The rally resulted in heavy gridlock along major roads as vehicular and human movement were grounded.

    Receiving the youths at his Campaign Headquarters, Nwosu, who is a fulfilled online governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), assured the them that the APC led administration is doing everything possible to ensure that Nigerian youths are given opportunity to achieve their goals through the provision of sustainable employment.

    He commended the youths particularly for supporting the reelection bid of President Buhari, stating that it is the surest way to Igbo Presidency in 2023.

    The governorship aspirant also promised the youths that if elected governor, his priority will be to create wealth for the teeming youths and women in the state.

    He commended the youths for purchasing his nomination form and expression of interest forms, pledging that he will not disappoint them when he assumes office as governor.

    Nwosu who received intermittent ovation from the mammoth crowd also stated that the APC will retain power in the state in 2019, adding that none of the opposition party has the capacity to unseat APC in the state.

    According to him, “I want to thank the youths for your unflinching support for me and President Buhari and I want to say it again that the reelection of President Buhari is the surest and shortest route to Igbo Presidency”.

    He continued that, “I want to assure that I will not let you down, my administration will create wealth for the youths and women and we will sustain the free education programme which has benefitted our people so much. I want to also appeal to you to extend the support to all other APC aspirants”.

    Speaking earlier, Chairman of the Imo Youth Council, Hon Jeff Nwoha, said that Imo youths have come to thank him (Nwosu) for accepting the clarion call to join the governorship race.

    He said their decision to draft him into the race was influenced by the fact that he will sustain the legacies of the Rochas Okorocha’s administration, which they said has brought unprecedented development to the state.

    According to him, “we want a generational shift in power equation in the state. Imo youths are insisting that it is time a youth governed the state and we have implicit confidence that Ugwumba Uche Nwosu has the vigour, strength and capacity to govern the state and deliver the dividends of democracy to the people”.

    He continued that, “the youths have resolved to resist the reshuffling of the same old politicians that misgoverned the state and managed it like their private estate”.

    Nwoha also said that the youths are fully committed to the reelection project of President Buhari, noting that his achievements, especially in the fight against corruption need to be supported by every Nigerian Youth, “as Igbo youths we are convinced beyond that President Buhiari’s reelection will guarantee Igbo Presidency in 2023 more than any other political permutation”.

  • 2019: Okorocha sacks appointees contesting election

    …SSG, Chief of Staff, Info Commissioner affected

     

    Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, Wednesday relieved 13 of his appointees contesting the 2019 general elections of their respective positions.

    Those affected include the Chief of Staff to the governor, Uche Nwosu, who is contesting the governorship seat, Secretary to the Government of Imo State, Sir George Eche, who is also in the governorship race and the Commissioner of Information, Prof. Nnamdi Obiareri, who is contesting the Imo North Senatorial seat.

    Read Also:Imo guber: I’m not aware my SSG is running – Okorocha

    Others are the Principal Secretary to the Governor, Dr. Paschal Obi, Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations), Engr. Kingsley Uju, Commissioner for Trade,     Investment and Commerce, Chief Emma Ojinero, Commissioner for Gender and Social Development, Barr. Ngozi Njoku, among others.

    In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, the Governor wished the affected appointees luck, while thanking them for their services.

  • Okorocha inaugurates Buhari’s Campaign Council

    …says APC will sweep the polls in S/East

     

    Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has assured that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will record landslide victory in the Southeast in the 2019 general elections.

    He said that the task of ensuring that President Muhamadu Buhari is reelected is a priority that will be diligently pursued, adding that the APC is unarguably the most popular party in Nigeria at present.

    Read Also:Igbo Presidency: I stand the best chance, says Okorocha

    According to the Imo governor who gave the assurance during the inauguration of the Imo state chapter of President Muhammadu Buhari reelection Campaign Council in the Southeast, “APC is the best political party in Nigeria today. The President is doing well. We therefore have to go to the villages to tell our brothers and sisters the need to ensure that APC sweeps the polls, starting from that of President Muhammadu Buhari”.

    The Governor was represented by his Chief of Staff, Uche Nwosu, at the ceremony held in Owerri, the Imo state capital.

    He boasted that the APC will clinch all the elective seats in the state in 2019.

    Admonishing members of the Campaign Council to take seriously the responsibility assigned to them, Okorocha stressed that, “the task of ensuring that President Muhammadu Buhari is reelected is number one. We will ensure that this Campaign Council produces the next three Senators in the state, ten House of Representatives members and 27 House of Assembly members. This Council will also produce the next governor of Imo state”.

    He continued that, “APC is a party of the moment, many states are embracing it. Imo embraced it early and we will continue to embrace it. You must be passionate about this project. We will deliver in all the elections. I have never failed election before and I will not fail this time.

    “You will go to various Local Government Areas to mobilize support for our party. You are requested to mobilize 21 persons per polling unit in all the 27 LGAs. We will monitor your activities and will give you support. Our offices in the LGAs will not only be gigantic but very functional. Opposition political parties are waiting for us to slip but we will tell them that we are equal to the task.”

    In his speech, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Acho Ihim, who is a member of the Campaign Council, assured that the Council will work assiduously to ensure that APC swept the polls.

    He said that apart from the reelection of Buhari, which he said was certain, “Uche Nwosu will emerge the next governor of the state”.

  • Defection: Two S/East governors to join APC – Okorocha

    The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha Thursday disclosed that two serving governor’s from the Southeast will be formally joining the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Okorocha who did not disclose the identity of the governors, stated that there is an agreement among the Southeast governors to move in one direction.

    Read Also:Defections: God’ll chase away criminals from APC says Buhari

    According to him, “the insinuation that Southeast governors from other political parties will work for President Muhammadu Buhari for President and work for their candidates in the governorship election is not acceptable, you are either a member of the APC or not”.

    He continued that, “you will agree with me that Ndigbo played a dangerous politics in 2015 but we must correct that in 2019”.

  • Igbo Presidency: I stand the best chance, says Okorocha

    Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha Thursday said that he is more favoured to become the first President of Igbo extraction.

    The Imo governor, who spoke during a breakfast meeting with journalists at the Government House, noted that he commands massive followership beyond the Southeast much more than any other Igbo politician.

    Read Also:Okorocha to Buhari: No more defections from APC

    But Okorocha however lamented what he called the pull-him-down attitude among Igbo political elites, stressing that, “it is unfortunate that we the Igbo don’t celebrate our own, we are only interested how to destroy our own”.

    He however disclosed that he will not be relying on the support of  the Igbo to pursue and actualize his Presidential ambition.

    According to him, “I stand a better chance of making the Presidency in 2023 but my greatest challenge will come from the Igbo. It is our character. It will be a foolish thing to imagine that the Igbo will support me”.

    On President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election, the Imo governor, disclosed that the Igbo are mobilizing to give him landslide victory.