APC: We can win election without Okorocha –Nlemigbo

 

Imo State executive of All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Marcellinus Nlemigbo, has boasted that the party can win election without former governor, Rochas Okorocha.

He spoke against the backdrop of ongoing nationwide registration of the party. The exercise, which has been on for several weeks was recently extended in some states, including Imo, due to leadership disputes.

Answering questions from newsmen, yesterday, on what would be the fate of Okorocha and his loyalists if they failed to meet the deadline prescribed by the party, Nlemigbo, recognised by Governor Hope Uzodimma, said there may be no other option than the former governor and his men being sent away from the party.

“After being a governor, what are you asking of the structure for? The party is open for him to come and register. When our president, Muhammadu Buhari, went to his unit to register, he did not demand for structure or the party chairman to be removed.

“Same goes to our governor, Uzodimma. He did not ask for the structure of the party. I’m the chairman recognised today and Okorocha does not want to recognise that, he wants to control the structure of the party. He has forgotten that when he sponsored his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, who was in Action Alliance (AA), he declared there was no candidate of APC in Imo.

“So, if AA had won the election, would he still be claiming to be APC member? The interesting thing is that without Okorocha, APC can win election in Imo especially now that a lot of people are joining the party. We can win without him.”

On efforts the party has made to have Okorocha revalidate his membership, Nlemigbo said: “It is very easy for him to register in his booth or unit. The governor and even myself have volunteered to come to his unit to observe, we don’t know why they are finding it difficult, they can even go to their council headquarters if they want.

“If I were Okorocha, I will quietly go back to my house or AA. This registration was extended because of people like him. I’m afraid if the deadline expires, they can no longer be members of the party.”

But Daniel Nwafor, who is still claiming to be chairman of the party, in a swift reaction, expressed confidence that Okorocha would still be a member of the party even as he contended that the registration exercise must be done through his own executive.

He said already, they were having discussions with the national executives of the party and part of their deliberation was asking the party leadership to do the right thing.

“It is our party and we are not running away from it, what we are only asking APC to do is to do the right thing and what is the right thing, they should conduct the exercise through legally recognised executive of the party in the state,” Nwafor said.