The Senator representing Imo North in the National Assembly on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ben Uwajumogu, has predicted failure for the party in the 2019 election if Governor Rochas Okorocha imposses his son-in-law on the electorate.
The lawmaker advised the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to heed President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent warning against imposition of candidates.
Uwajimogu spoke with The Sun newspaper in reaction to moves by Okorocha to replace him with one Prof. Obiageli as Senator that will represent Imo North, come 2019.
“I’m also surprised just like many over the statement credited to Governor Rochas Okorocha.
“Prof Obiageli, who is running as a proxy of Okorocha, is going round Okigwe zone claiming to be the next Senator that will represent them in the 9th Senate.
“My reaction is that, it is a tragedy because the governor appears not to realise that in a democracy he doesn’t have the capacity to determine who will represent Imo North at the National Assembly in 2019.
“The power resides with the people of Okigwe to decide who will represent them. When the time comes Okigwe people will choose those that will represent them in different capacities. No doubt, they will speak with their votes.
“Like I have said at different fora, the governor is distracting his administration by promising so many people positions he cannot guarantee.
“Okorocha should realise that power belongs to God. God is the one that will decide who gets into any position. So, my advice to OKorocha is not to play God because the way God made him governor so he will enthrone others into positions as it pleases Him.
“Therefore, any attempt by anybody no matter how highly placed to cow the people will be resisted.”
On Okorocha’s son-in-law succeeding him as governor, the Senator said: “The young man in question needs more experience in other areas of life to be able to govern a state like Imo.
“Yes, a 42-year-old man can be governor especially now that there is clamour for young people to take over leadership of the country, but I don’t think Uche Nwosu has the experience to run Imo State. I believe APC will lose Imo if Okorocha is allowed to field his in-law as candidate of the party in the governorship race in 2019.”