Hope had dimmed for the Imo Governor presidential or vice presidential ambition when there were insinuations that the party may settle for Buhari/Tinubu Ticket.
On this score, Okorocha had to recoil to his political shell to run for Imo Governorship for a second term
However, the groundswell of opposition against the proposed Muslim/Muslim ticket in the APC has elevated hopes of the Imo Governor that the coast might still be clear for him to run for the presidency or Vice in 2015 in APC.
The Imo State Governor was among other governors in the Progressive Governors Forum, PGF that persuaded Bisi Akande, the interim national chairman of the party to consider the option of stepping aside as APC national Chairman before the scheduled May 24, 2014 national convention of the party.
At a meeting of the party attended by party elders, leaders and Some State Governors, Deputy Governors at the Imo State Governors Lodge, Abuja, last week, there were heated arguments on the continued stay of the Akande led Interim National Executive.
A source at the meeting said there were political altercations between a chieftain of the party from the South- South Zone with one of the leaders of the party from the South West Zone. The latter left the meeting annoyed.
However, the meeting later prevailed on the interim executive to leave since they have overstayed their tenure by more than six months. Party sources said the Akande led Exco should have stayed for six months but somehow has stayed up to a year.
Akande was said to have reluctantly agreed to step aside as party chair after further consultaions.
Based on this development, serious political horse trading has commenced in the party. Okorocha and his colleagues in the PGF recommended that the national chairmanship seat goes to the South- South or South East geo political zones.
According to the recommendations,the North comprising the North West, North Central, North East zones will produce the presidential candidate of the party.
However, this may not be towed by some party leaders. There is a group that wants the South West to retain the party chair, while the South East takes the Vice Presidential slot, and the South- South goes for the party’s Board of Trustees Chairmanship position.
Okorocha is the only South East Governor in the party. He has consistently said he will either go for the Presidential or Vice Presidential slots in the APC.
However,this plan may not be feasible as it is against the decision of the party leaders and recommendations of the Governors forum. Okorocha is Chairman of the Forum.
One of the proponents of this plan told this blog “The South West is not too comfortable losing the party structure. They may have realized that the APC may not win the presidential election next year. In the event this happens, they will rely on the party structure to hold on to for the 2019 presidential contest. This is responsible for the new twist and turn of events in the party"
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