Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo on Tuesday insisted that his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, should take over from him as governor in 2019.
Speaking with newsmen at the Sam Mbakwe International Airport in Owerri, shortly on arrival from an overseas trip, Governor Okorocha said that Mr Nwosu is qualified to govern Imo and that his position on the endorsement stands.
He, however, assured that the primary to elect a candidate a governorship candidate for the APC in Imo would be transparent, noting that there would be no shortcut in selecting candidates to fly the party’s flag.
Okorocha also disclosed that local government council elections in Imo would be conducted in June, to give residents of the state an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice at the grassroots.
He said that he was working hard to boost the popularity of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-East to make the party acceptable to the people in the upcoming general elections.
The governor said that he was also taking necessary steps to inject life into the party to boost President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election chances.
Speaking earlier, Special Adviser to the Governor on Electoral Matters, Steve Asimobi, compared Nwosu’s governorship ambition to the Bush presidency in America,
He said: “People talk about his son-in-law and I want to ask: from where do we borrow our democracy? Look at the American history, sometimes in the history of America, it was the Kennedys, the Kennedy Dynasty and hegemony. If not for death and, perhaps some other factors, maybe they may have ruled America for a very long time.
“Look at the Bush family. Bush Senior was the President of America and his two sons were governors of two states in America. If it was in Nigeria, people will shout blue murder. After Clinton, his wife wanted to become President of America and almost defeated Barack Obama. She later contested against the present American President and won the popular vote in the election.
“If America, where we borrow our democracy from, is wise in doing this, why are we pedestal to be talking about son-in-law? If Uche Nwosu now divorces his wife, is he qualified to run? At times, we push morality to the extreme in Nigeria! Imo State wants somebody that can perform better than previous governors. We do not want somebody that will come and take us back to Egypt.”
