The National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South East, Arodiogbu Ijeomah, has condemned a recent call for the removal of Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, as chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum.
A founding member of the party, Chief Osita Okechukwu, had recently criticised Uzodinma, calling for his removal as chairman of the forum, following controversies surrounding the conduct of the Edo APC primaries.
Reacting to this, the zonal leadership of the party in the South East denounced such a call, describing Okechukwu’s remarks as that of a “rabid dog.”
Ijeomah, in a statement made available to OsunDailyNG, wondered where the Governor of Imo State and leader of the APC in the South East had erred in the discharge of his duties as the Chairman of the Edo APC Primaries Committee for the 2024 state gubernatorial elections, to warrant such a call.
“As the National Vice Chairman of the party in the zone, I must frown at the penchant for certain elements to openly cast aspersions on our leaders in the party.
“It is worrisome that the likes of Okechukwu, who have never won an election either in his polling booth or in his ward, will turn around and throw careless words against the leadership of Senator Uzodinma.
“While I understand that this is a democracy and in a democracy there must be disagreements between persons, such disagreements must stem from how to grow the party in the zone and not pull him down as exhibited by a number of failed politicians such as Osita Okechukwu.”
Arodiogbu insisted that Uzodinma committed no crime in the discharge of his duties as Chairman of the Edo State Primary Committee.
“This is laughable. Even so, what about the party’s successes in the region? Today, the party in the states within the zone is being run by real politicians and not those who are APC in the day and something else at night.
“Today, the party is flourishing within the nooks and crannies of the South East; this wasn’t the case before Governor Hope Uzodinma assumed leadership of the zone as its leader a few years ago,” Arodiogbu stated.
