Why Okorocha Opposed PDP's Vice Presidential Ticket To South East

Indications emerged at the weekend why Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha recently lambasted the PDP for zoning its Vice Presidential ticket to the South East.

Okorocha in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemedo had described the zoning of the Vice Presidential ticket to the South East as a mockery of the region, arguing that the party never remembered the South East in the last 16 years it was in power.

This online newspaper however gathered that the speculated presidential ambition of Okorocha in 2019 and the likelihood that President Buhari will seek for a second term may have been reasons why Okorocha and the APC are worried over PDP’s new zoning arrangement.

  

With the South East  completely not “visible” in the APC led Federal Government , there are concerns that the PDP decided to strengthen its grip in the region by dangling the VP ticket to the South East.

Already, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu is of the PDP while in the APC led federal government no Igbo from the South East holds any of the top eight positions in the country such as .  the  President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker, House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker, Chief Justice of Nigeria, President, Court of Appeal, etc     

With the zoning of the Vice Presidential ticket to the South East by the PDP, analysts now contend that this may further compel the APC to retain its North/South West strong alliance which produced President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, thus leaving out anyone from the South Est interested in either the presidency or Vice on the APC platform in 2019.

However, Okorocha has a different perception about the opposition party latest zoning policy.

“Why is the PDP now considering the South East for the Vice President after 16 years? Are they just waking up from their slumber” Okorocha asked.

“For the 16 years the PDP was in power, it never considered the South East as being fir for the position of Vice President. The party never had any reason to remember the South East as a major bloc”

“It never considered the South East being capable of holding any sensitive position in the country.

“They are just waking up from their slumber after being out of power” he said

Okorocha recalled that the PDP never allowed the South East to have the president, the vice president, the senate president, the speaker of the House of Representatives, stating that the South East totally lost out in the PDP government.

“Even in terms of projects, the South East had a very rough experience in the PDP government

“All the federal roads in the zone were all death traps until the party was voted out of power. The second Niger Bridge became endless pit for the PDP. Some oil wells belonging to some states in the zone were taken away and given to other states outside the zone. It was a hopeless situation for the zone”

He described the VP ticket as bait by the opposition party to deceive the people of the region, adding that the people could see beyond the bait.

BY UCHENNA UFOMADU

PHOTO: OKOROCHA, GOV, IMO STATE