The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-East on Sunday asked Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state to fully accept responsibility for the fate of Ndigbo, especially their inability to secure any appoint so far in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The party accused Okorocha of neither truly campaigning for President Buhari nor the APC in the build up to the March 28 Presidential/National Assembly elections, insisting that has the governor effectively mobilised the people to support the party, the story would have been totally different.
The party in a statement issued by its spokesman in the South-East, Osita Okechukwu abd made available to newsmen in Enugu therefore dismissed the statement by Imo State governor that Ndigbo were responsible for their exclusion in appointments made by President Buhari.
Okechukwu was reacting to an interview granted to a national daily by Okorocha, published on Sunday.
In the interview, Okorocha said he shared the sentiments of the Igbo that none of them made the list of appointees.
Accoring to the governor in the said interview, “some of the appointments we lost was of the doings of our people,” just as he recalled that when he was crying like a lonely voice in the wilderness “that look at where Nigeria was going, Ndigbo chose to put all their eggs in one basket”.
But, in a statement on Sunday, Okechukwu said Okorocha should take responsibility for Igbo exclusion in the appointments, rather than passing the buck to Ndigbo.
The statement was titled, ‘Governor Rochas Okorocha neither truly campaigned for President Buhari nor APC’.
Okechukwu stated: “I am sorry to comment on the blame game being played by His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okorocha; for his interview can be classified as Okorocha Recue Mission from the less than five percent score in the 2015 presidential election from the entire South East.
“All one can say is that to the best of knowledge, he neither truly campaigned for President Muhammadu Buhari nor the All Progressives Congress.
“Methinks that while we blame Ndigbo for putting all our eggs in one basket, we should blame our leaders who genuinely didn’t campaign for President Buhari nor APC candidates in their domain.
“I challenge Governor Okorocha to tell the world how far he assisted Senator Osita Izunaso for his bid for Orlu senatorial district, his own constituency and that of Hons Uche Onyeguocha and Uwajimogu of Owerri and Okigwe districts respectively” Okechukwu stated.
Rivers: DSS Officer Claims Cult Groups, Thugs Worked for PDP During April 11 Elections
Senator Iroegbu in Abuja
In line with the claims by the military personnel, and staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, an officer of the Department of State Security (DSS), Mr. Godwin Mba, testifying at the Rivers State governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja, disclosed how ‘cult groups and political thugs’ perpetrated violence that disrupted the smooth conduct of the April 11 polls.
Mba who said to have led the team of operatives from the DSS on election duty to Andoni Local Government Area (LGA) told Justice Suleman Ambrosa-led Tribunal at the weekend that “the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State worked closely with known cultists and thugs in Andoni from the eve of the election till the announcement of result”.
The security officer alleged that the unlawful activities of the PDP on election day was evident because the perpetrators of the crimes are known people with affiliation to the PDP in the various communities.
Mba mentioned a certain Ephraim Bara, as the leader of the Iceland cult group with sympathy to the PDP teamed up with other thugs who acted with impunity to intimidate voters including intimidating of INEC adhoc staff on duty.
Testifying further, he narrated his experiences to the tribunal and delivered a damning report on the election which he described “as a highly tainted exercise”.
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