Northern APC Caucus Move Against Rochas Over Zoning of Party Offices

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State is in trouble following his recent move to zone the office of APC National Chairman to the South- South Zone.

This blog had exclusively reported yesterday that the Imo Governor in his desperation to be Vice Presidential Candidate to a Northern Presidential Candidate on the party’s platform aligned with the South South Zone to ostensibly scuttle the aspiration of the South East.

 The South East has been highly favoured by party bigwigs for the position.

Apparently  reacting to this development, the Northern caucus of the party made up of serving and served governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives and party leaders of Northern Nigeria extraction of the party are expected to meet tonight (Friday, 30^th May, 2014) in Abuja.

Sources said top on the agenda is the issue of zoning of the party’s positions, chief among which is the National Chairmanship which purportedly was zoned to the South -South by Governor

Okorocha’s group in the party at a meeting in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

This development incurred the wrath of the North on the grounds that it negates the mood of the party which favoured a south easterner for the position. Inside sources further hinted that this may not be unconnected with a desire by the Northern leaders for the party to use the position of National Chairman to make significant inroads into the East and give the area a sense of belonging in the party.

Similarly, it was also gathered that the North considered the South East as its biggest ally going by history and therefore believes that zoning the position to the area would further cement that bond.

The political arithmetic in the APC, sources also revealed, appeared to have favoured the South West for the Vice Presidential slot considering the five governors in the region in the party which favours it for the exalted position of VP. The South East has only one APC governor.

It will be recalled that late last month at a meeting in Abuja, 12 of the 16 APC Governors including Owelle Rochas Okorocha of Imo State voted 7-5 in favour of the South East to produce the national chairman of the party.

Sources also hinted that the issue was later tabled before the APC Elders Council for further deliberation. It could not however be resolved. Those eying the exalted seat are Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu(South East), Chief Tom Ikimi, Chief John Oyegun, Timipre Silva and Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, all from the South South.

The APC National Convention is to hold on June 13-14, 2014.