Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has declared that politicians of Igbo extraction are in reality not smart in the political turf.The governor held that Igbo politicians are instead steeped in political hustling rather than engaging in progressive national politics.
Okorocha, who was speaking during an interactive chat with newsmen, also noted that no section of the state had as yet, presented him with a better governorship material for the state, than his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu.
Analysing the politics of the country, Okorocha noted that the Southeast is numerically a minority region that needs integration with other geopolitical regions of the country before their votes in an election can be of any political consequence.
Lamenting the antagonism against his person and politics from his erstwhile loyalists in the All Progressives Congress (APC) namely Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and his Deputy, Prince Eze Madumere, Okorocha said: “There is no Imo politician playing national politics presently. None! Igbos are not smart. We are just political hustlers. Yes quote me, we are not politically or economically smart. Look at the Yoruba; they saw the opportunity and dumped regional politics, set aside their party the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and moved up to national politics.
“But Igbos here continue to play local politics; playing clannish, small-time politics that is of no beneficial consequence to the region.”
Okorocha continued: “It is more like the clannish politics that has undermined the Mbaise nation in Imo politics. Everything may not be right presently; we can condemn what is wrong but we must never remove ourselves from national politics.
The Mbaise nation must drop clannish politics and join state politics while Imo people must drop regional politics and join national politics.”
On President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term bid, Okorocha said the president would be returned in 2019.
He said: “My personal analysis is that Buhari will win in 2019. His winning will not only be because of performance but because there is no credible alternative. The people that will vote Buhari do not go to social media and may not even be reading newspapers.”
Talking about his strained relationship with his Deputy, Prince Eze Madumere, the governor said: “Honestly, my first choice for governor was Madumere who has been with me for 25 years. I made him Deputy Governor. He did not contest any election, I appointed him. I was looking for something.
“I also tried my former Secretary to the State Government, Sir Jude Ejiogu. I moved him through various sensitive ministries until I made him my Chief of Staff and eventually the SGI. I also tried Hon. Chike Okafor. I was looking for a leader in Imo state; looking for somebody who is visionary and far-sighted like me.
“If you have anybody better than Uche Nwosu, bring the person to me. Nwosu has an unusual passion, an uncommon commitment which I have not seen in any person. It is not about being my in-law, it is about capacity. Engr. Chuks Ololo is also my in-law, he is married to my youngest sister and he says he is running for governor of the state. I can tell you right away that he doesn’t have my support; I don’t know what he is doing. I do not want anybody that will bring back unnecessary enmity and acrimony to Imo state.”
-New Telegraph
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