₦airaland Forum

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha on Monday said that the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, is fast turning the party to regional minority party.

If not checked, he said APC might have serious setback in the year 2023.

Okorocha spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Asked to speak on the mistake of 2015 and the emergence of new leadership for the National Assembly, Okorocha said “I have been watching carefully what is happening in the National Assembly, it’s a very interesting drama. But all I ask them is that they should consider the South East in their calculations.

“This nation will not be properly balanced if South East is not carried along properly in the affairs of the National Assembly. Nobody seems to be talking about the South East, it looks like the South East doesn’t have a place anymore, that is wrong, politically speaking and that is not good for APC.

“Because there is going to be a bigger APC after President Muhammadu Buhari must have left the seat. My fear now is that APC might have a serious setback in 2023 because the Oshiomhole’s led executive is actually turning APC into a regional minority party which shouldn’t be because of his mistakes.

“Right now in the whole South East, we don’t have an APC governor. So if there is any discussion in Nigeria now within the APC governors and President Muhammadu Buhari, there would be nobody from the South East.

“This is what the APC Chairman has done in the South East. I think it’s a capital attempt to frustrate the efforts of the South East. But I appeal to every Nigerian to support the cause of the South East.

“They shouldn’t think about giving South East, whatever position for giving sake. You can’t just wake up and give them any position. South East is a key primary zone in this country and if we don’t get the number one seat, we should get the number two seat.” he said

He also pointed out that Oshiomhole was behind his predicament.

According to him, INEC has no right to withhold his certificate of return.

Asked why his party is not making any case for his certificate of return, he said “I won’t be surprise because, of course, you know the imposition we suffered in the party. When you say the party, you talk about the leadership of that party. I don’t have problem with the Working Committee of that party, I only have problem with the chairman of that party as he took it upon himself to do the wrong thing against me for just no cause and to fight a battle that he can never win.

“No, he is the one that is behind all these impositions, can you imagine, as I speak to you the APC candidate in Imo State did not win a seat, APC does not have a councilor in Imo State now, it does not even have a House Member.

“But the AA party has eight seats in the Imo State House of Assembly, two Federal House and they have one senator about to come to the Senate. This is why internal democracy must be respected, let the will of the people prevail rather than this imposition.

“It is unfortunate what has happened in Imo State. At least, I have been vindicated for the fact that I said the APC candidate they are imposing on Imo people is not popular, he came from the opposition. When I was the leader of that party, when I was running the affairs of that party, we won 24 seats in the House of Assembly, we have governor, federal house members but today APC does not have because of imposition,” he said

On the true position regarding his certificate of return, he said “As it stands today, I am just waiting patiently for the release of my certificate of return for election that I duly won, and I am hoping that INEC will release my certificate of return.

“I have not contravened any section of the constitution and I have not done anything wrong not to be given my certificate. I pray and hope INEC would do what is just and what is right.”

Asked if he discussed the issue with the President, Okorocha said “I don’t think that would have been necessary to do because, it’s a straight forward matter. INEC conducted election, results were declared – the returning officer declared the results and I won. Only, one week later to hear that somebody wrote a petition that he issued that declaration under duress. I say where? Was it in his private house or was it in the collation Centre?

“If it is the collation, SSS were there, police were there, international observers, INEC officials and many others. So who actually put him under duress?” he queried

“The man has not been able to say that. Nobody has ever sent a statement about that. But I think INEC would want to do the right thing very soon.

“Now in the same way, the governorship candidate of PDP never won that election because the election flouted section 179 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which says that you must have the highest votes and you must have 25 percent in two third of the local governments.

“Now, this gentleman who was declared the winner by the same INEC, had 135,000 votes from 24 local government but had over 130,000 votes from his three local governments. Of course you know, he didn’t win that election. But even at that, we had the highest mark, the Returning Officer of INEC was never patient to even calculate to know that it was 200,000 votes cancelled and there is supposed to be a rerun.

“Also flouting that basic constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria which says you must have 25 percent in two-third, he doesn’t have it.

He was confident that there would be

Senator representing Delta Central and Senator elect on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has said that the Federal High Court in Asaba lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate on a matter that has already been dealt with.

Omo-Agege therefore dismissed the judgment of the Federal High Court nullifying his nomination as the APC senatorial candidate, saying he was never a party to the suit before the court and therefore remains the validly nominated candidate of the party

In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja and signed by his Senior Special Adviser Communications & Strategy, Godwin Anaughe, the Senator said the primary election that produced him and other APC candidates for the election was a consent judgement which has not been set aside by any court of competent jurisdiction.

The statement reads: “Today’s judgement by Justice Toyin Adegoke of the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba may give some joy to the plaintiffs and their supporters, but it is of no effect and does not and cannot alter the status quo. Senator Ovie Omo-Agege remains the Senator-Elect and Rev Francis Ejiroghene Waive remains the Member-Elect of the Federal House of Representatives.

“First, the electoral college that elected Senator Omo-Agege and Rev. Waive as APC candidates in the just concluded 2019 general elections came into being by virtue of a consent judgement that has not been set aside. It is still a valid, subsisting judgement until it is set aside by a superior court of competent jurisdiction. Therefore, their election into their respective positions remains valid.

“Second, there is no consequential order made by Justice Toyin Adegoke for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the Certificate of Return duly issued to Senator Omo-Agege and Rev. Waive and to be re-issued to those who are now parading themselves as the valid candidates for the just concluded 2019 general elections, neither was there any order made against the persons of Distinguished Senator Omo-Agege and Rev. Francis Waive, as they were not parties to the suit and as such are not bound by the said judgement.

“Third, the Court, in its wisdom held that the consent judgement is not binding on Cyril Ogodo and co. because they were not parties to that suit. It becomes trite that today’s judgement also cannot bind on Senator Omo-Agege and Rev. Waive because they were also not joined as parties to this present suit.

Further to this, the Court therefore cannot make any declaratory orders against them.

“Fourth, the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC, under the directive of the National Executive Committee ( NEC) of the party is the only organ that is saddled with the responsibility of organizing party primaries for the purpose of nominating and sponsoring candidates for elections and not one Mefor Progress, an individual, as Justice Toyin Adegoke wrongly held in her judgement.

“It is imperative to state emphatically that the consent judgement of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that gives validity to the Jones Ode Erue led Exco is a final judgement of Court like any other judgement, and it is valid and subsisting until it is appealed against and set aside by a court of competent jurisdiction.

“The Asaba Federal High Court lacks the jurisdiction to sit as an Appellant Court over a consent judgement delivered by a court of coordinate jurisdiction. Consequently, Prophet Jones Ode Erue & his Exco remains the valid and authentic Executives of Delta State APC.

“The judgement delivered by Justice Toyin Adegoke of the Federal High Court 1, Asaba is therefore of no consequence.”