The factional governorship candidate of the APC in Imo State, Uche Nwosu, has said that his candidature remained valid despite the submission of the name of Sen. Hope Uzodinma.
Nwosu, who addressed journalists yesterday in Abuja, faulted the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee’s (NWC) decision on the issue.
Oshiomhole had said the party had accepted the results of the Ahmed Gulak-led primary election committee that produced Uzodinma, stating that it was in substantial compliance with constitutional provisions.
But Nwosu wondered how Oshiomhole could turn around to accept the results which he had allegedly earlier described as ‘fake’.
He also expressed concern over the decision that seemed to have been targeted at him since some of the candidates produced by the second primary election committee were cleared.
He said he got a second order from an Owerri High Court restraining any name from the purported results that Gulak was parading, adding the order was still subsisting, contrary to Oshiomhole’s claim, as nobody had gone to court to vacate it.
“But even with this, the national chairman told us that he will go ahead and submit the name of Uzodinma. It is unacceptable, what we saw on Friday is not democracy.
“Our chairman that we respect very well, what he did on Friday is not internal democracy. I won that election. I remain the candidate of APC and nobody can take it away from me. It might take a while, but let me state it clearly, I am the candidate of APC and by the special grace of God, come 2019, I have no doubt that I will be the governor of Imo State.
“Nobody can truncate the mandate of the people. I will take my mandate no matter how long it takes. Justice will prevail as long as we have a genuine case,” he added.
Nwosu, who said there was no place in the Nigerian constitution which states that anybody who married the daughter of a governor couldn’t succeed him, advised the party leaders to separate politics from sentiments.
While restating that he would not dump APC to run on the platform of any other political party, he said with his role in the church, he would not have any problem with the Catholics in Imo State.
“From all I heard from the national chairman, I have respect for him as our national chairman. I knew Comrade Oshiomhole right from when I was in school as Director, Transport, Student Union Government. I worked with him as a union leader in school through Philip Shuaibu.
“I remember several times we were on the streets in support of his actions as NLC President. I see him as my role model. But what I see now is a disappointment. There is no internal democracy. I’ve never seen where you conduct election and somebody won and from nowhere, you bring another person as the candidate of the party. It is unacceptable,” he said.
