Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services, Rep. Chike Okafor is a strong ally of Governor Rochas Okorocha. In this interview with Frontline News Online, he speaks on the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his state and at the federal level. Okafor also speaks on the defections in the National Assembly and the impact it could have on the 2019 elections. He however insists that APC will win Imo State with Okorocha’s, son-in-law, Uche Nwosu as candidate and the presidential election with, President Muhammadu Buhari.
As a strong supporter of Gov. Rochas Okorocha, you must be happy with the results from the congresses in your state.
Well, there were no congresses in Imo as at the day congresses held across the country according to APC Congress and Convention timetable. Ward congress did not hold in Imo as at that date and we have a recording to this effect on tape. The former National Organizing Secretary of the APC, Senator Osita Isunazo confirmed it. The state party chairman confirmed that. The Commissioner of Police and the Director, DSS confirmed it. The chairman of the panel that was sent by the NWC to Imo to conduct the congresses also confirmed that that congress didn’t hold. But by Monday after that Saturday, we started getting feelers that congresses held. The next Saturday, they were going to have LG congresses and we boycotted it. You can’t build something on nothing. If there were no ward congresses, there wouldn’t be LG congress because it is the ward congress that would produce the LG delegates that will now vote the officers. And next Saturday, they said they were going to have state congress. So, we stayed away and allowed them exhaust their negative energy. And then, we as democrats approached the court and with a plethora of evidences including the INEC report. And the court of competent jurisdiction had our plea and passed judgment, that no congress held. So, the NWC and party leadership ought to go back to Imo and conduct congresses. It was the same NWC that said we are not appealing, let’s respect court judgment and so, they slated a date. So, the Congresses have held in Imo rightly and now we have our executive under the leadership of the governor.
But do you see APC winning in Imo State, if an election is held today? Many say Ndi Imo will not be looking the way of your party, owing to its performance at state and federal level.
That impression is erroneous and it is only held by people who are not on ground in Imo to see what has happened in the state. What has happened and is still happening in Imo State, never happened until Owelle Rochas Okorocha became governor. There was no visible development until he took over in 2011. And I say this authoritatively, because I served from the onset as Commissioner for Finance from June 2011 to December 2014. So, I speak authoritatively, that it is not true that what you see in Imo is film trick. But it is true that the governor has brought visible change and development, infrastructure and otherwise. These things are there speaking for our party. You were asking if APC will win in 2019. The truth is that the party has become a beautiful bride in the South East. I want to tell you that the fortunes of the party in the state cannot be worse that it was prior to the 2015 elections. Don’t forget that APC was a new party that birthed before the election. The fortunes of the party are better today in Imo in particular, than it was prior to 2015 election. So, I will tell you that APC will win in Imo and I also see the party also doing a lot more better in other states. I see APC picking a minimum of an additional state in the South East.
With the congresses producing officials picked by Gov. Okorocha, it seems he is poised to deliver his son in-law as governorship candidate. But do you see APC winning Imo, if the governor fields the young man?
I disagree with you that the governor is set to deliver his son in-law. I rather put it this way, that APC in Imo State is set to present Uche Nwosu as candidate for governorship, come 2019. That’s the truth. It is just a coincidence that Uche Nwosu happens to be a son in-law to the governor. The quest for Uche Nwosu didn’t start with Rochas Okorocha. It started from the party. We have 27 LGAs. The last time I checked before the congresses, 24 of our 27 LG party leadership had done rallies in the local government areas, they came to the Government House to tell the governor that it was Uche Nwosu they wanted. So, Uche Nwosu is the choice of the party. And what makes it a lot more appealing is that Uche Nwosu has been embraced by the youths, the younger generation in Imo State. So what we have at hand now in Imo State is that, Uche Nwosu is the choice of the people and Rochas Okorocha had little option but to align himself with the people.
Governor Okorocha is in control of APC structure. But will he be able to impeach his deputy as it seems to be the current battle he is involved in?
Well, you know the Deputy Governor was a staff and ally of the governor, dating back to his days as a businessman. The Deputy Governor was even Chief of Staff to the governor as a businessman. When there were issues with the former Deputy Governor, the governor threw his weight behind Madumere to become Deputy Governor and also ran with him for his second term. He (Madumere) has the ambition to become governor and he approached his boss and friend, the governor and informed him of his ambition. But the governor opined that both of them run for Senate. Madumere said no and took a walk. He never went to his office from that time in March till date. He hasn’t been carrying out his duties as Deputy Governor and he aligned with the opposition within the party to fight the governor. This is the history of the situation we have today.
Aren’t these the reasons why the governor moved to get Madumere impeached?
Constitutionally speaking, the governor has no role to play in the impeachment process. It is the State House of Assembly and the judiciary that have roles to play. And the issue is that he (Madumere) had packed out of his official quarters and stopped coming to the office. So the matter is between him and the State House of Assembly. Frankly speaking, I don’t think the governor has anything to do with impeachment.
Your party lost members of National Assembly to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ADC. What or who do you blame for the situation, some say may even get worse?
The inability of our party and our national government to embrace the leadership that emerged in 2015, I would tell you to a large extent, contributed to what happened yesterday especially on the red chamber. It started on the night of June 9, 2015 at the inauguration of 8th Assembly, the APC that just won election decided to get involved in the emergence of the leadership of 8th Assembly.
We have always had this level of disenchantment and anger following some activities of our party leadership in the last 3 years and working closing with members even among those of them who defected, I’d always known that they were not happy with the party, even more recently with the way and manner they were treated, after the APC congresses in their different constituencies.
Some have said, defecting senators and members of the House will take a lot of momentum from the APC as we move into the next election. What is your take?
I want to align myself with the national leadership of the party. The national chairman has spoken. He said he’s not gonna lose sleep. That means we should not lose sleep too. The president also spoke through a press release. The president wished them well. I do not see what happened yesterday radically going to affect the fortunes of the APC in 2019. That is not to say that those who defected do not have clout especially in their immediate constituencies. No. But you know what politics is about interests. The analysis I have been getting in the last 24 hours is that most of them were not sure they will be returned from their various constituencies. So, if that were to be the case, why would you expect them to stay put in the APC?
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has been heavily crticised for saying he won’t lose sleep over the defections, but you seem to support this negatively perceived position?
I am not the spokesperson of the party but, don’t forget that we also have our pride as human beings. What the national chairman meant was that he did everything humanly possible to stop the defection but now that it has happened, he is not going to kill himself. Don’t forget that a forth night ago, he (Oshiomhole) came here (National Assembly). He engaged us, the APC caucus and he also went to the Senate. So, there had been engagements. He as the chairman did everything within his power to stop the defection, but it happened. So, the natural thing for him to say is that he is not losing sleep.
It seems you don’t think the ongoing political realignments will affect the fortunes of President Muhammadu Buhari?
No, it will not affect him directly because President Buhari has his profile. He has his credentials as a democrat, an incorruptible president. You can say anything and everything about him but you can’t say he’s corrupt. You can’t also say he doesn’t mean well for this country. But we are waiting to see who the opposition will throw up. We have adopted him as our candidate except any other thing happens. Let’s wait and see who the opposition will bring up. We will compare their profiles and put then side by side with our President and then you can make our analysis.
You describe President Buhari as a leader with an untainted reputation. But many will disagree with you. Observers have pointed to cases such as that of the former SGF. A lot has been said of the president surrounding himself with people alleged to be corrupt. What is opinion on that?
I am glad you mentioned the former SGF. But you saw the President sack him. Some people also predicted that he will not remove him and when he did, did they applaud him?
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