In his insistence to have his son-in-law and Chief of staff, Hon. Uche Nwosu, as his successor, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has concluded arrangement to arm twist Imo lawmakers into endorsing son-in-law on video camera, believing that their endorsements could give his daughter’s husband some political mileage, a source from Imo government house has revealed.
According to the source, it was gathered that Governor Okorocha was furious that twenty lawmakers who had purportedly endorsed Mr. Nwosu for governor come 2019, turned round to deny the claim.
The source revealed that the exercise of recording the endorsements of the said 20 lawmakers will take place at a hotel, known as ‘Kelvic Suites’ located in New Owerri, behind New Concorde Hotel, by 10 am, Wednesday, March 28, 2018.
The hotel, said to be owned by the Deputy Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, who is also from the same Federal Constituency with Hon. Nwosu, has reportedly become a beehive of activities for mobilizing support for the governor’s son in-law.
It was further revealed that Governor Okorocha had threatened to deny any law maker who fails to endorse his son-in-law ticket to return to the House in 2019.
Hon. Henry Ezediaro, member of Imo State House of Assembly, last week, addressed the press, alleging that twenty law makers had endorsed the governorship ambition of Mr. Nwosu.
Highlighting more on the reasons for supporting Nwosu, Ezediaro said, “Uche Nwosu was the pioneer candidate of APC in 2014, the party endorsed him to run for governor, he has not changed since then.
Angered by Hon. Ezediaro’s revelation, the lawmakers, in a twist, accused him of telling lies against them, with some of them distancing and out rightly backing down on the said endorsement of Hon Uche Nwosu.
According to an Owerri based tabloid, some of the lawmakers who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity, for fear of victimization said, “We are surprised that one of us will go to tell the press that 20 of us who had a meeting at the Speaker’s residence endorsed Nwosu. There is nothing like that. We enjoined him to make the agenda public than use our names to gain cheap scores from the governor and his son-in-law.
“If we wanted to tell the public about the endorsement of Uche Nwosu as the outcome of our meeting, the press would have been invited for briefing than allowing one of us to speak on our behalf.”
But the source disclosed that “Governor Okorocha’s insistence of foisting Nwosu on Imo people may not be unconnected with fear of prosecution over some of his administrative misdeeds, which may land attract lawsuits against him.”
Ezediaro had listed the following lawmakers to be in support of the endorsement: Ugonna Ozuruigbo representing (Nwangele) Luggard Osuji, former Majority leader (Owerri Municipal) Chukwuemeka Lloyd (Owerri North) Ekenna Nzerue (Oru East), Innocent Egwim (Ideato North), Obinna Egu (Ngor Okpala), Ngozi Obiefula (Isu) and Uju Onwudiwe (Njaba).
Others are Victor Onyewuchi (Owerri West), Uche Agabiga (Orsu), Emma Orie (Ohaji/Egbema), Ikechukwu Anwunka (Ideato South), Henry Ezediaro (Oguta), Roman Duruji (Ehime Mbano) and Marcel Odunze (Orlu).
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