Rochas Okorocha, outgoing governor of Imo State, has stated what will happen if the South East region is schemed out in the incoming 9th National Assembly.
The governor after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday at the presidential villa warned that the country will not be balanced should the region lack representatives at the leadership of both chambers at the legislative arm of government.
“I’ve been watching carefully what is happening in the National Assembly; it’s a very funny drama. But all I ask from them is that they should consider the South East in their calculations,” Mr Okorocha said while addressing reporters.
“This nation will not be properly balanced if the 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 Buhari must have left the seat,” he added.
The Iberiberism lexiconnoisseur who has been having a political battle with the national chairman of his party, Adams Oshiomhole, blamed the latter for the woes befalling the party in the South East.
“My fear now is that APC might have a serious setback in 2023 because the Oshiomhole-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,” Okorocha said.
“So, if there is any discussion in Nigeria now among the APC governors and President Buhari, there would be nobody from the South East. This is what the APC chairman has done in the South East. It’s a capital attempt to frustrate the effort of the South East. But I appeal to every Nigerian to support the cause of the South East.
“They shouldn’t think about giving the 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 added.
Okorocha who won the senatorial elections in Imo West district has not been issued his certificate of return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the basis that his declaration as the winner was made under duress.
The electoral body has said only a competent court could force it to backtrack on the governor’s issue.
When asked, the governor denied he went to see the president based on controversies sorrunding his senatorial election.
“I came to invite President Buhari for the commissioning of over 1,000 projects he had executed in Imo State,” the governor said.
Meanwhile, a senator-elect from the region has threatened to vie for Senate Presidency if the zone is denied the slot of Deputy Senate President he is advocating for. This is against the wish of the party which has zoned the position to the North East.
