Imo State Governor and Chairman, All Progressives Congress Governors Forum, Chief Rochas Okorocha, yesterday attributed the party’s loss in the Ekiti State governorship election to disconnect between the party leaders in the state and the grassroots.
Okorocha, at a meeting with political appointees and APC stakeholders in Owerri, said the party went into the election amid in-fighting and poor grassroots mobilisation and was defeated.
In the election, APC’s candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who was seeking reelection, lost to his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, by a wide margin. But Okorocha said if there had not been disconnect between the elite and the grassroots and the fact that the leaders of APC in the area were not on ground, Fayemi would have been re-elected.
The governor, who condemned the internal crisis in APC in some local governments in the state, urged party faithful to settle their differences and unite to make the party stronger ahead of the 2015 general election. He also used the forum to assure the party chiefs that contrary to insinuations by political opponents, APC has no link with Boko Haram. Okorocha said Boko Haram had been in existence before the formation of APC, adding that the strength of the sect is in the disunity of the country.
He urged members not to allow such rumours to distract them from their loyalty and support for the party. The state Chairman of APC, Dr. Hilary Ekeh, in his remarks, assured the governor that party members will not disappoint him come 2015.
Source: New Telegraph
