Rochas Okorocha and Ahmed Gulak
Ahmed Gulak was former Political Adviser to former President
Goodluck Jonathan. The chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC)
was the Chairman of the Imo State governorship primaries of the party
which produced Senator Hope Uzodinma as the governorship candidate of
the party. In this interview with Temidayo Akinsuyi of the Daily
Independent, he speaks on the controversy that trailed the exercise.
Excerpts:
From all indication, Senator Hope Uzodinma is now the
governorship candidate of the party in Imo State meaning the report of
your panel was upheld by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the
party, what is your take on that?
I will say without any iota of doubt that the NWC vindicated my
stand. One, I did not appoint myself and other members of the panel. The
NWC approved our appointment, myself as the chairman and returning
officer and six other members including the Secretary making us seven as
enshrined in the guideline. We went to Imo against all odds, we stood
our ground, elections held, results collated and the winner announced.
We came back. In fact after the collation, I and few others escaped
because the governor himself came to arrest everybody in the hotel but
before he arrived, about four of us escaped and he arrested other
members including the Secretary. He took them to Government House and
they read a prepared speech declaring his son-in-law as the winner of
that exercise. But I have already left Owerri for Abuja where I
submitted my result. As I speak today, there is no single petition
against our report and against the result. Let us not forget, Okorocha’s
in-law was not the only aspirant, Hope Uzodinma was not the only
aspirant. They were other seven aspirants including the Deputy Governor
of Imo state. All the other aspirants, nine of them, there is no single
petition against the conduct of the election.
And if there were grievances against the conduct of that election,
the party has an appeal panel that petition ought to have been lodged.
The Appeal Panel will recommend whether or not a fresh primary will be
conducted, that did not happen. As we speak in accordance with the
constitution and the guidelines, the result submitted by my committee,
signed by me is the authentic unchallenged report and the NWC have no
option but to uphold that report. I feel vindicated, the members of my
committee feel vindicated. The issue of Governor Rochas Okorocha going
round blackmailing the party, threatening the party is not the best for a
governor. He is supposed to be a statesman.
This is his party, I understand very well that he is the senatorial
candidate of his party in Orlu, so he should not weaken the party from
within. He should call everybody; all hands must be on deck to ensure
that the party retains the state.
Why do you think he failed in his bid to install his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu as his successor?
Well I don’t know Imo people very well. But I know that whoever
Governor Okorocha wants to push forward, decency demands that he should
do so in consultation with the stakeholders of that state. Even if he
wants to put his son-in-law, his daughter or his wife, he ought to have
consulted the stakeholders, no one man can do this game of politics.
Everybody must be carried along, I feel maybe because he did not consult
the stakeholders before pushing his son in-law as the person to succeed
him, and naturally, people will revolt and if he has his way to impose
his son in-law on the party, what of the general election, can he
impose? At the end of the day the people of Imo state will decide who
they will vote as governor. Don’t forget it is not a one party system,
we have more than 85 political parties with candidates. And in Imo state
I have it on good authority that we have about 10 or 11 political
parties fielding candidates as governors.
I know that if you impose your son-in-law as successor; don’t
forget that that it is the Imo people who will decide who the next
governor will be. And I also have it on good authority that immediately
they learnt that the NWC has upheld the result of the Imo primaries, the
other candidates subsumed their ambition in the interest of Imo state
to support Hope Uzodinma. As party men, we should all be happy about
that too. That is politics without selfishness. Okorocha has spent eight
years as governor of Imo state, you want your son-in-law to succeed
you, you want to come to the senate as a senator, you want your wife to
be a House of Reps member, you want your junior brother to be running
mate, you want your son in-law to be deputy governor, that itself is
indecent, it is immoral and the people of Imo state may not take it
likely.
They are not slaves; you cannot enslave them by making it a
personal family dynasty. This is a well-educated state, well enlightened
state where we have professors in almost every family. We have business
men, industrialists, these people have stake in Imo state. So I know
they will not lie low when Okorocha begin to enslave them. He has gone
on air every day to abuse me, maligning me but i have decided to keep
calm because it is an internal family matter but i urge him to be a
better party man. Abusing me every day on television and Newspapers will
not help him, he should go and work for the victory of his party and
leave me alone.
You said you escaped death and was almost kidnapped in Imo can you tell us what happened?
Naturally, even before I went to Imo State, I was offered a private
jet to take me to Imo state by Imo Government House and their proxies
but I refused because I don’t want to be compromised. I refused the
private jet and even the tempting offer made to me, very tempting, we
are talking about two million dollars here, which I refused. Although, I
tried to persuade them that I am going to do what is needful, free and
fair primaries. Every stakeholder must be involved. Immediately we
landed at the airport, that was where the problem started. They wanted
to kidnap every member and only God knows where they wanted to take us
to, which I refused. And to say the least, I pity the Imo people but
they have to take their destiny in their own hands and elect who they
feel will represent them better. I am not from Imo state but I am a
Nigerian. There is equality and there is equity. Some of our governors, I
am sorry to say this, they take state resources as their personal
resources and we know that power is transient. After four or eight years
you are out of power and the system will get you. But having said that,
I am happy that the party has vindicated me and I know it is the best
decision for the people of Imo state.