Okorocha, Yari, Amosun lose out as APC submits governorship lists to INEC

Governors of Imo, Zamfara and Ogun states, Rochas Okorocha, Abdulazeez Yari and Ibikunle Amosun, respectively, have finally lost out in the power game playing out in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This is just as the party made its final decision leading to submitting the lists of its governorship candidates for the 2019 general elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Friday.

It was gathered that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party 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.

That was just as the preferred candidates of the governors of Ogun and Zamfara states also did not make the APC’s final list submitted by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

It was learnt that the final decision on the issue of primaries as it affects the various states was taken during the meeting of the NWC held on Wednesday in Abuja.

With the latest development, the furore over who will fly the flag for the 2019 governorship election for the APC in those might have been put to rest especially, as none of the governors concerned has put up a fight.

That was also as the ruling Party is battling the INEC currently, albeit legally, over the ban slammed on it by the electoral umpire from feeding candidate for the coming governorship election in Zamfara.

Impeccable source close to the party in the state reportedly hinted that the party accepted the results of the Ahmed Ahmed Gulak committee, which declared Uzodinma winner of the October 1 primaries in preference to October 6 rescheduled election held by the Ibrahim Agbabiaka panel that declared Uche Nwosu as winner.

When our correspondent visited the state office of the Independent National Electoral Commission yesterday, a source said the list was yet to be made public.

Meanwhile the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in the Abuja Judicial Division Friday ordered the All Progressives Congress (APC) to show cause why it should not be committed to contempt for violating its earlier ruling not to submit any other name other than that of Uche Nwosu as the governorship candidate of the party for the 2019 election in Imo state.

Okorocha, who like Governor Amosun made the APC’s list for the senatorial contest in their respective states, however told Oshimhole that he is not a loser.

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.