Okorocha says he has also suspended Oshiomhole from APC

Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has announced that he has responded in kind, by suspending APC Chairman Adams Oshiomhole from the governing political party.

On Friday, March 1, 2019, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC announced the suspension of Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State; Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru; Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu and Okorocha for anti-party activities.

Okorocha and Amosun are openly backing opposition candidates to succeed them in their respective states, even though they contested for and won senatorial elections on the platform of the APC.

Governors Rochas Okorocha, Abdulaziz Yari and Ibikunle Amosun had different governorship candidates from the one presented by their political party (Guardian) Pulse Nigeria

Their handpicked successors, Okorocha’s son-in-law Uche Nwosu and Amosun's candidate Adekunle Akinlade, lost the APC governorship primary elections in both states, after Oshiomhole made it clear that no imposition of candidates was going to take place on his watch.

Parallel primaries were conducted in both camps and parallel candidates emerged.

Suspending Okorocha and Amosun

In a statement issued last Friday, the APC said it “reviewed the serial anti-party activities of the concerned individuals before and during the last Presidential and National Assembly elections in their respective states and resolved to enforce party discipline in line with our constitution.

“The NWC noted how the suspended members have continued to campaign openly for other parties and candidates that are unknown to our great party, even while they have constituted themselves as opposition to APC candidates in their respective states”.

Okorocha responds to suspension

However, Okorocha laughed off his suspension during a programme on ChannelsTV, stating that Oshiomhole has no powers to suspend him.

The governor also accused the APC chairman of engaging in anti-party activities by “destroying” the party.

Okorocha said, “I just heard media reports that I’ve been suspended from the party. I think Adams is seeking relevance and looking for attention. He doesn’t have such powers to remove somebody without following the due process. If he is joking, which I think he is, I also have decided to sack him myself.

Governor Rochas Okorocha does the victory dance after securing a second term in office in 2015 (Punch) ece-auto-gen

“So, I have sacked him from the party. If he thinks he can just stand up and say he has suspended me from the party I founded, without following the due process, in the same manner, I have sacked him from the party.

“I learnt that the reasons he adduced for my being suspended from the party is for anti-party reasons. I think Adams is the biggest player of anti-party activities in the APC. The man has simply destroyed the party to a great extent.”

Okorocha has been campaigning for Uche Nwosu, governorship candidate of the Action Alliance and his son-in-law, to succeed him in Imo, shoving away Hope Uzodinma who emerged the APC governorship flagbearer for the state.

President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, APC Chairman Adams Oshiomhole and the party's national leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the APC Caucus meeting in Abuja on Monday, February 18, 2019 (APC) Pulse Nigeria

Amosun has been campaigning for Akinlade of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), even though Dapo Abiodun is the APC governorship flagbearer for Ogun State.

Nigeria conducts governorship elections across 29 states on Saturday, March 9, 2019.