Indications emerged yesterday that the governors of Imo, Rochas Okorocha, Zamfara, Abdulazeez Yari and Ogun, Ibikunle Amosun may have finally lost out in the power game playing out in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This is just as the party is set to submit the list of governorship candidates for the 2019 general election to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) today.
LEADERSHIP Friday gathered that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party has adopted Senator Hope Uzodinma as the party’s governorship candidate for Imo state against the incumbent governor, Rochas Okorocha’s preferred candidate and son-in-law, Uche Nwosu.
LEADERSHIP’S findings also revealed that the preferred candidates of the governors of Ogun and Zamfara States are not on the list to be submitted to INEC today.
It was learnt that the final decision on the issue of primaries as its affect the various states was taken during the meeting of the NWC held on Wednesday in Abuja.
The party has concluded all arrangements to send the names of their candidates to INEC today in order to beat the November 2 deadline for the submission of names of governorship candidates.
A source in the APC who is privy to the outcome of the NWC meeting said the meeting again reviewed the conduct of primaries in the states, especially in areas where there were challenges and decided to weigh certain options before arriving at major decisions.
“Although the chairman was summoned to the villa in the middle of the meeting, the decision on Imo was almost unanimous. Hope Uzodinma is the man”, the source who did not want his name in print told our correspondent last night.
Reports have it that the national chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, had earlier advised Governor Okorocha to cede 45 per cent of the party structure to Senator Uzodinma’s group in a bid to cater for the interest of the contending forces within the party.
Oshiomhole was said to have asked Okorocha to choose between his senatorial ambition and his desire to have his son in-law, Nwosu, as his successor.
The governor was reported to have explained why he and Nwosu were the best candidates for the governorship and senatorial seats, arguing that no one could win election in the state as presently constituted without his backing.
Source: LEADERSHIP
