… As President Dashes Imo Governor’s Hope
A member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Imo State has taken a swipe on President Muhammadu Buhari for excluding the state in the ministerial list sent to the senate last week.
Speaking with our reporter in his office in Owerri, the APC chieftain who pleaded anonymity said the exclusion of Imo, the only APC state in the south east, meant that the party would be prepared to lose more elections in south east in the future.
The APC chieftain’s outburst was one of many reactions which have continued to trail Governor Okorocha’s campaign promises that Ndigbo would be better off under an APC-led government at the centre, following what many have described as complete exclusion of the zone from core appointments so far made by President Buhari, including the recent ministerial appointments.
The stalwart, who is an executive member of the party in the state, told our correspondent “It’s a shame and it has further portrayed Buhari as man who doesn’t keep to his promise. During the electioneering campaigns, Buhari promised to accommodate all the federating units of the country, but his actions since his inauguration as the president, have proved otherwise”.
The APC chieftain added that for the president to have intentionally excluded Imo, the only APC-controlled state in the south east was an act of sabotage by himself.
“With this action, he has further proved that he cannot be trusted. He told the world that he was looking for saints as ministers, but, check the list, you will see nothing but a recycling of old politicians who had held this country hostage for years”.
President Muhammadu Buhari appeared to have dashed the hopes of Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State of nominating a minister from the state following the release of his ministerial list last week.
So far, it appears from every indication that the president outrightly rejected the nominees sent by the Imo State governor, who is also the chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum.
It was gathered that the governor had submitted a list of two ministerial nominees which was said to have included his in-law and immediate past secretary to the government of Imo State, Prof. Anthony Anwuka and the immediate past speaker of the state house of assembly, Benjamin Uwajumogu.
But it became clear that Buhari had rejected the said nominees from Okorocha following Tuesday’s unveiling of the comprehensive ministeriakl lkist by the senate president, Bukola Saraki at the plenary of the nation’s upper legislative chambers.
Meanwhile, two prominent leaders of the APC from the South East—former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chris Ngige and former governor of old Abia State, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu—made the list.
It could be recalled that during the 2015 electioneering campaigns, Governor Okorocha had urged the people of the south east to support the APC as according to him, it was under an APC-led federal government that would guarantee the Igbo and south east a new lease of life in Nigeria.
