A group known as the Imo APC Restoration Coalition led by Dr. TOE Ekechi, Okorocha’s former Commissioner for  Information, has warned President Muhammadu  Buhari not be associated with the 2019 governorship ambition of Governor Okorocha’s son -inlaw’s guber ambition, saying that it will be disastrous to his reelection bid in 2019.

The group said: “President Buhari must not have anything to do with Uche Nwosu’s governorship ambition, it will be a disaster and a colossal failure for a high flying cum performing Nigerian leader in the person of President Buhari’s presidential campaign to use an unknown figure like Okorocha’s Chief of Staff as a poster card for 2019 issues. We deplore it in its entirety”.

The group which made its Imerienwe declaration on March 7 lamented that the Governor has reduced the party in the state to one-man-party.

The group also noted that “Imo being the only APC state in the South East remains the barometer by which the entire party in the country and the Igbo nation in particular will be assessed and evaluated by the electorate hence our concern for us to do things accordingly so as not give the impression that our great party is a one-man-show that dwells on imposition, lawlessness and arbitrariness – factors that can reduce the party to nothingness!”

The group also clarified  that they are not at war with Governor Rochas Okorocha, noting that they are happy with the level of acceptance and commendation from the members of the party, Imo people and some officials of the Okorocha government whom they urged to remain anonymous for fear of witch-hunt from the government.

The group regretted that they have been misrepresented by some officials of the state government, saying that “there are few misguided elements in the Imo State Government who truculently have been misrepresenting and misquoting our March 7, 2018 intervention”.

In a press release signed by its leader, Dr. TOE Ekechi and Barr Kingsley Ononuju (Secretary), the group said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we are not at war with His Excellency, the executive governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha’s government. We are not also a splinter group or a faction of the Imo State APC. Not at all.

“We are a group working assiduously to restore the image, integrity and confidence which the good people of Imo State hitherto had in our great party. We do not want the APC to be disgraced at the 2019 general elections.

“To that effect, we are tirelessly working to instill justice, fairness, equity and orderliness in the Imo APC; and we are anchoring our modalities in constitution, constitutionalism, good conscience and morality. It is our conviction that the way and manner Governor Okorocha is going about the installment of his son-law as his successor is riddled with confusion, coercion, disorderliness and largely dictatorial. As a loyal, committed as well as stakeholders group in the APC”.

They insisted that that Governor Okorocha’s endorsement of his son-inlaw, Uche Nwosu, for the 2019 governorship election in the state is a way of cowing other governorship aspirants in the party.

“We view the governor’s endorsement of Uche Nwosu as an insidious way of cowing other aspirants out of the race; and this is against Nigeria’s Constitution as well as APC’s Constitution.

“As we said before, we are vehemently opposed to an Uche Nwosu aspiring to the office of the governor of Imo State in 2019, not more when such an aspirant is openly being sponsored by a sitting governor!

“Our members see this act as inglorious, disdainful, rude, insulting, embarrassing, immoral and as we have clearly proved in the past, it is against the spirit and provision of APC Constitution”, said the group.

They also called on the Governor to “heed to our counsel and stop declaring war on members of APC Restoration Coalition. This, certainly, can only worsen affairs of APC in the state and also deny our party victory at the 2019 presidential, national assembly, governorship as well as State Assembly

elections”.

The Restoration Coalition added: “Our attention has also been drawn to the recently enthused comments of Owelle Okorocha whereupon he stated he would eventually be conducting LGA elections in June, 2018. Although, it has taken him over seven years to perform this election matter, we welcome the idea of a credible election conducted for the good of the grassroots and comprehensive growth and development of Imo local councils, what we do not welcome is an LGA election tailored to booster the charade called ‘Uche Nwosu for Governor 2019′”.

The group also said they “are not surprised we got positive engagements from appointees in the Owelle Okorocha’s government who did not mince words in their condemnation of the Uche Nwosu’s misnomer.

“We implore them that it is in our mutual ultimate interest for them to remain anonymous to avoid the now familiar intimidation, harassment or even outright sack by their principal as meted out to Ichie Best Mbanaso and Rt. Hon. Donatus Ozoemena, former deputy speaker.

“We do not view such appointees as men without courage but we see them as our political soul mates in another realm.

“We are aware of the irritating plan to make almost all the autonomous communities as ISIEC wards in the state. Herein lies the reason for the now much talked about Imo LGA June 2018 election. The idea is to elect councilors and chairmen as they will automatically become delegate members during the APC primaries and we call the Imo Assembly lawmakers not to pass the bill when it comes before them into law”.

The Coalition also noted that “Just recently, the governor has been linking President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 electoral fortunes to Uche Nwosu as can be seen in the Project New Nigeria. This is just a mere propaganda. The exact situation is that Uche Nwosu’s candidacy will portray President Buhari’s re-election in bad light.

“If after dissecting the composition, caliber and pedigree of our members, the governor and his circles still believe we are being sponsored, then it simply shows that Owelle Okorocha suffers from a groundswell of disconnect from his subjects and people around him.

“We must put it on record that the Imo APC Restoration Coalition, both as a group and individually, is not sponsored, founded or funded by anybody or group. We are not working for anybody or group and we are not fronting for anybody either just as we are not a stooge to any politician. If any credible and responsible body or group that fancies and identifies with our dreams and ideas comes forward for a working relationship, why not, we shall consider them.

“Equally, let it be on record that we are not waging any zonal battle. You can confirm that our membership is drawn from all the three geo-political zones in the state. Let us use this opportunity to commend our brothers and sisters from Orlu zone.

“They are our pillars and backbones in this battle against unprecedented imposition. There are indeed men and women from Orlu zone and we salute their candour, courage, patriotism and statesmanship. We also thank our other members from Okigwe and Owerri zones respectively.

“While we prosecute this agendum within the ambit of the law, we shall strive to be as civil as possible even avoid name calling and character assassination, we therefore urge the governor and the state government to be law abiding in their responses to our submissions and to avoid threats, intimidation and harassment against our members as it is currently the case. Whereby he thinks otherwise, we assure him that we have enough arsenals to hold the governor accountable.”