Certificate of return: Why we can’t help Okorocha – APC

…Amaechi supporting AAC, not anti- party

Tom Okpe, Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has stated that Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state suspension from the party placed on him by the National Working Committee (NWC) has made it uneasy for the party to intervene on his withholding of certificate return by the election umpire.

Okorocha, who was declared winner in the February Senatorial election is yet to recieve a certificate of return presented to other Senator-elect on the reason that he was declared winner under duress.

The party also said Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transport’s support for the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) is not an anti-party affairs saying that: “I will emphatically say no because if you liken it to the situation in Imo or Ogun states, it will be wrong.

In Rivers state, APC does not have any candidate and as a party, Rivers state is very important to us. The state has been in the hands of pillagers for too long”.

The party apokesman When, Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu told journalists at the party Secretariat on Wednesday in Abuja that governor Okorocha is still under suspension, pointing that until the suspension is lifted by the party, it cannot intervene.

He further said on Okorocha who was announced winner of the Imo West senatorial ticket: “This party cannot take any action.

Don’t forget that he is on suspension and as far as this party is concerned, that situation remains because there is no way we can say that somebody is on suspension and still go ahead to intervene in his case.

“In any case, he has not even come up to inform the party of his problem because he has realised that he is on suspension. Therefore, until it is vacated, the party will now step in to intervene as a party member who has problem to resolve.

“If we have the opportunity of working with party members or parties, willing to abide by our principles, then it is within our right to work with such a party to ensure we free the people of Rivers state from the locust.

In this case, he has not abandoned a particular candidate that belongs to the APC for a candidate of another party. They are entirely different issues and in that case, there is no anti-party.

“Whatever Amaechi has done is completely normal and acceptable to this party as far as working with other party is concerned”, he said.