Uneasy calm is pervading the camp of the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha following the release of guideline for the conduct of the primaries by the APC national office.
Even as the camp of the governor was said to have erupted in wild jubilation after the meeting of the APC governors with President Mohammadu Buhari on Wednesday, fear still exists in the minds of the members, especially those seeking elective appointment for 2019.
Tension had gripped Okorocha and his lieutenants when the outgoing executives of the party he kicked against were given opportunity to run again and be in the office to conduct the congresses.
Furthermore, Okorocha and followers went into a tight corner when his new arch enemy in the field of politics, Senator Ben Uwajumogu was made the congress committee secretary.
But a slight reprieve came the governor’s way after the reported meeting between the governor and Buhari where the candidacy of Okorocha’s favourite for National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, was canvassed.
The coming of the name of the former Edo State Governor brought in a temporary smile on the faces of the Rescue Missionaries after rumours had it that Okorocha would be in charge of the Imo State Congresses.
However, recent reports that the presence of Uwajumogu in the committee coupled with the position of Senator Osita Izunaso who is the organizing secretary of the party at the national level has further dampened Rescue Mission hopes to control affairs of the party in the state.
Trumpeta have it on good authority that despite Okorocha’s desperate efforts to permeat into the Presidency to sway support to his side, the duo of Uwajumogu and Izunaso are using party structure and machinery to frustrate his maneuvers.
This newspaper was reliably informed that Uwajumogu and Izunaso are joining forces to torpedo the prowess of the governor and dictate the pace of the congresses at the state level.
The case of Okorocha and his followers, especially election seekers, like his son inlaw, Uche Nwosu, running for the governorship and others seeking elective post are worsened by the presence of Izunaso and Uwajumogu at the national level.
Though the Rescue Missionaries have compiled names of would be ward officer and LGA favourable to them for the congress, how it would sail through to be recognized where Izunaso is the National Organizing Secretary and Uwajumogu Congress Committee Secretary remains a puzzle worrying the Governor and his followers.
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has released guidelines for the forthcoming Wards’, Local Government Areas’ and State’s Congresses.
In the guidelines released on Wednesday by the APC National Organizing Secretary, Sen. Osita Izunaso, the Ward Chairmanship aspirants shall pay N10,000 each to obtain nomination form, while other officers shall pay N2,000.
Local Government Chairmanship shall buy nomination form for N25,000, while other offices will be purchased for N10,000.
The aspirants vying for the position of State Chairman shall pay N100,000 to pick the forms, while other offices go for N30,000 each.
According to the guidelines, all females’ and the physically challenged aspirants shall pay 50 percent of the prescribed fees.
Meanwhile series of complains have continued to trail the Rescue Mission mock primaries which was conducted last week at Imo Government House Owerri by Governor Rochas Okorocha.
Our source revealed that only few aspirants who are very close to the Governor were allowed to enter the Nick Banquet Hall, venue for the so called “Mock Primaries while other aspirants who were considered to be a threat were locked and edged out of the place.
Our reporter gathered that those aspirants who are already at the corridor of power brought a strategy to make things difficult for others by directing the security agents to make sure that only their agents enter inside the hall to ensure their endorsement while the aspirants they felt that would be a stumbling block to them at the mock primaries were not allowed to enter the hall.
Information revealed that the worst hit is the Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency where an aspirant, Mrs Justina Kamalu and few other aspirants were locked out making way for only the secretary of Imo State Government, Sir George Eche to come in as the consensus candidate.
It was gathered that the woman aspirant who hails from Aboh Mbaise was completely locked out of the gate by the security men since she is not an appointee and as a result, only the SGI, Sir George Eche aspiring to go to the Federal House was in the hall to receive ovation and endorsement.
Hon Obinna Mbata also received the ill treatment as most of his followers were said to be locked out of the exercise. The same thing happened to few other aspirants who were considered to be a threat to others for party primaries.
This development has caused a lot problem in the Rescue Mission group as concerned members have advised the governor to look into the complaints of the aggrieved aspirants who felt cheated.
When contacted, some of the aspirants expressed disappointment on the exercise and pleaded that the governor should cancel the Tuesday “mock primaries” and conduct a fresh one for peace to reign in the political camp, adding that it is good for the best candidates to emerge in the mock primaries so that APC will scale through in the 2019 general election.
