Ex- Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Imo State, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, yesterday described the statement credited to Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha that he had asked him to join All Progressives Congress, APC and become Senate President as falsehood.
Governor Okorocha while giving account of his stewardship for past four years on Monday has stated that the former deputy speaker would have still be relevant in politics today if he had accepted his plea for him to contest the senatorial seat of Owerri zone in order to become the Senate President.
In his reaction, Ihedioha through a statement by his Media Assistant, Chibuike Onyeukwu, yesterday, said: “Although we find the Governor’s acknowledgement of Rt. Hon. Ihedioha’s capacity to chair the National Assembly a well known fact and therefore needless to emphasize, we however wish to state that the statement is in its entirety, false, diversionary and indeed could only have come from a man, very well known for his penchant for falsehood.”
Ihedioha stated that Governor Okorocha did not visit him before the elections to plead with him to jettison his ambition. “The only time Governor Okorocha visited me was in 2013 in company of Senator Osita Izunaso to condole me on the death of my younger sister,” he stated adding that there was no way they could have discussed politics in such solemn moment.
The statement further added: “Even if he did, Chief Ihedioha wouldn’t have yielded to his ill-informed advice because the entire Imo citizens yearned, and still yearn for the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives to address the untold hardship that has ravaged the state based on his sterling qualities and track record of achievements.
“It is unfortunate that the courts couldn’t consider our petition against the declaration of Governor Okorocha by INEC as the winner of the polls, which would have exposed the fraud and massive rigging that skewed the election in favour of the APC."
As stated by Ihedioha, he had no intention to leave his party for any other party including the APC. He added that he would remain a committed and consistent member of the party, since “the PDP remains the only national party that has the spread and capacity to deepen our democracy, sustain the unity and development of our dear country, Nigeria.”
H stated that rather than fruitlessly engage in diversionary antics, “Governor Okorocha should concentrate on how to address the mounting issuesof hunger; over nine monthsof workers’ salary and 20 months pension arrears, industrial actions, collapsed economy and comatose state of infrastructure underhis watch.”