The Action Alliance (AA), a party
formed by Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State 14 years ago, has adopted Atiku
Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party as its presidential candidate in the
February 16 election.
The national chairman of the
party, Kenneth Udeze, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on Monday.
“We are for Atiku/Obi leadership
and we are glad to work with all believers of true federalism and efficient
administration of governance at all levels to accomplish this as we approach
the forthcoming elections,” Mr Udeze said.
“The National Executives
Committee (NEC) of our party are on the same page concerning our support for
Atiku, same with all our state chapters in this matter.
“We hereby restate out position
through this medium that AA as a certified and active member of the Coalition
of United Political Parties (CUPP) have not for a moment reconsidered or wished
to alter that position.
“For your information, AA moved
the motion for the adoption of Atiku as the Presidential Candidate of CUPP, and
we are on it to the end,” he said.
The national chairman said the
support for Mr Abubakar and his running mate, Peter Obi, was a support for the
growth of the country’s democracy and the required restructuring of the
country.
Mr Okorocha formed the AA in 2005
and planned to run for president on its platform in the 2007 elections.
He was a founding member of the
PDP on whose platform he ran for the governorship primary in Imo State in 1999
but lost to Achike Udenwa who flew the flag of the party.
He later dumped the PDP for the defunct
All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) where he was a presidential aspirant in 2003.
After a few years in ANPP, Mr
Okorocha floated the AA where he hoped to actualise his presidential ambition,
but in a dramatic move abandoned the new party to return to the PDP.
While in PDP, he showed interest
in the 2007 presidential race and ran for the primary. He emerged runner up to
the winner, former President Umaru Yar’Adua.
In September 2007, Mr Okorocha
unsuccessfully aspired to become the national chairman of the then ruling
party.
He later defected to the All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on whose platform he ran for governor in Imo
State in 2011 and won, beating the incumbent, Ikedi Ohakim of the PDP.
Ahead of the 2015 election, the
governor again dumped APGA for the newly-formed All Progressives Congress (APC)
following the successful merger of three other opposition parties and a section
of APGA which he led.
In APC, he also attempted to
become its presidential candidate but was beaten alongside others by President
Muhamadu Buhari at the party’s primary in Lagos in 2014. Mr Okorocha came a
distant fourth having mustered only 624 votes.
While Mr Okorocha sojourned in
PDP and APGA he managed to keep AA afloat and the party became handy.
When APC refused to name his son
in-law, Uche Nwosu, its governorship candidate for the March 2 election, Mr
Nwosu moved to AA where, without contest, he was accepted and adopted as its
flag bearer in the March 2 election.
The APC snub has pitted the governor
against the national leadership of the ruling party with both sides often
exchanging verbal punches in the past months.
Mr Okorocha, who is the candidate
of the APC for the Imo West senatorial District, is believed to have
facilitated Mr Nwosu’s defection to AA.
While the spat with the
leadership of APC lasted, the governor repeatedly said Mr Nwosu would run on
the platform of another party if he was not offered the APC ticket.
On Saturday, Mr Okorocha, at the
APC’s South East women and youth rally in Owerri, the state capital, clashed
with the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, as both canvassed votes for different
governorship candidates.
While the governor rooted for his
son-in-law, Mrs Buhari, represented by Dolapo Osinbajo, wife of Vice President
Yemi Osinbajo, canvassed support for the APC candidate, Hope Uzodinma, and
other candidates of the party in the general elections.
“A vote for Buhari is a vote for
progress. APC has done well and we must all support all APC candidates,” the
first lady said.
“I am happy with the crowd we saw
today. It shows that Imo is APC and I want to urge all youth not to fight,
avoid any form of crisis because President Buhari is a peaceful man. From what
we have seen today President Buhari has won the South East the same way all our
APC candidates have won.”
But when he rose to speak at the
rally, which had Mr Uzodinma in attendance, Mr Okorocha vowed that nothing
would stop Mr Nwosu from succeeding him as governor, come May 29.
He said, “Let me say this Madam
First Lady, this time around we are not here to ask you to campaign for Buhari.
What my wife has done is to tell you that Buhari is on ground.
“Imo victory for Buhari is
designed, sealed. In Imo State, we have 47 political parties and one of the
perfect alliances is Action Alliance led by Uche Nwosu.
“Nwosu is APC in spirit. APC owes
Imo an apology because of the injustice meted to Imo people. In Imo State,
Nwosu will win Imo State. It is not anti-party. We refused imposition in Imo
State,” he said.
At Monday’s press conference, Mr
Udeze said Mr Nwosu still remained the governorship candidate of AA in lmo
State, adding that he (Nwosu) was the one running for the election under the
party, not Mr Okorocha.
“We shall do our best to deliver
him, as he still remains the candidate to beat among all the gubernatorial
candidates,” he said.
“On this note, let me warn all
our members in Nigeria, and the lmo State Chapter, in particular that we don’t
need any infraction in our party (and) in fact there is no room for that.
“It is our unshakable/unfailing
resolve to work for the emergence of Atiku/Obi, in the presidential election,
and that we must not only be seen to be doing, but to truly do.
“I will not hesitate to invoke
from relevant sections of our Party Constitution to deal with erring members no
matter how highly placed, as AA constitution which I swore to protect remains
supremely sacrosanct. Please be warned,” he said.
It is not however clear if it was
Mr Okorocha and his supporters, who are backing Mr Buhari for the February
election Mr Udeze referred to as “erring members.”
Mr Udeze could not be reached for
comments as he did not respond to repeated calls from this reported on Tuesday
morning.
When contacted, Sam Onwuemedo,
media aide to Mr Okorocha, said his principal was now a member of the APC and
would not comment on the adoption of Mr Abubakar.
When reminded that Mr Okorocha
floated the AA in 2005, Mr Onwuemedo said the only link currently between the
governor and AA was that his son-in-law was running for governor on the party’s
platform.
“That is not important now. The
only relationship between him (Okorocha) and AA is that Uche Nwosu is
contesting on its platform and we are poised to deliver. We are for Buhari but
on the issue of the governorship election, it is Nwosu. They should leave to
us,” Mr Onwuemedo said
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