South East APC Urges Ndigbo To Rally Suppport For Okorocha

FROM IGNATIUS OKPARA, Enugu – Ahead of Saturday’s gubernatorial re- run polls in Imo state, the South East chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC), has urged Imo electorates to return Governor Rochas Okorocha, as the only APC’s in the geo political zone.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the April 11 governorship election in the state inconclusive and fixed the re-run for Saturday, April 25.

Ahead of declaration that the poll was inconclusive, Mr. Okorocha was leading his Peoples Democratic Party PDP challenger, Emeka Ihedioha, as he polled a total of 385,671 votes as against his rival who was credited with a total of 306,142 votes.

Rising from a strategic committee meeting in Enugu Thursday, the APC asked the people to vote overwhelmingly for Mr. Okorocha in the coming poll.

“We urge the good people of Imo State to complete the good works they have started, for a vote for Owelle Rochas Okorocha is a golden vote to retain the only egg Ndigbo has in the basket of the new Nigeria General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB) is constructing,”

The party in a statement issued by its zonal Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu said returning Okorocha, would do the state a great good, as it would enable him consolidate on his first tenure achievements.

The party therefore, reminded the people of Imo State that every other geo-political zone, including the South-South where President Goodluck Jonathan comes from, has at least an APC governor, insisting that the South East should not be an exception.

It lamented that the Igbo race lost the opportunity to produce the Senate President because it put all its eggs in one basket during the elections, adding that the Igbos might also lose that of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for not voting a ranking federal legislator from the zone.

The statement read: “Habba, our people how we explain marginalization this time around when we have the opportunity to join the victory party.

“We all know how influential the Governors and their Forum are and therefore, can we shoot ourselves in the foot by blindly voting PDP? It asked Imolites.

“Is it not shameful that the great Ndigbo, one of the tripods in our dear country, out of sentiment is missing in the National Order of Precedence – President, Vice President, Senate President if care is not taken Speaker, and Chief Justice of Nigeria?

“This lacuna makes it imperative for us to have one of our governors in the Progressives Governors Forum.”

The party said it had repeatedly made passionate appeal to Ndigbo before the March 28 and April 11 elections not to put all its eggs in one basket.

“We appealed to Ndigbo not to put all the eggs in one basket, we reminded our people of Senator Chuba Okadigbo’s premonition that GMB (Muhammadu Buhari) will form the bedrock upon which PDP will be shoved aside.

“Tabugbo ! Today is early, for our people to decide.” the statement concluded