2019: Okorocha, Nnamani, Nwobodo, Ministers, Others Shun Buhari Campaign Meeting

2019: Okorocha, Nnamani, Nwobodo, ministers, others shun Buhari campaign meeting in Enugu

By Emmanuel Uzodinma

President
Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election campaign kicked off on a low note in the
Southeast on Thursday as Owelle Rochas Okorocha, the only South East
Governor of All Progressives Congress (APC), failed to attend the first
strategy meeting of the zonal campaign council in Enugu.

Others,
who were noticeably absent include former Senate President, Ken Nnamani,
former Anambra State Governor, Chief Jim Nwobodo, four Ministers from
the South East, Chris Ngige (Labour), Geofrey Onyeama (Foreign Affairs),
Anthony Anwuka (Education/State Minister) and Okechukwu Enelama (Trade
and Investment).

Ogbonnaya Onu, the Minister of Science and
Technology was the only Minister from the South East that attended the
closed door strategy meeting, convened by Miss Sharon Ikeazor, the
Director of Buhari Campaign Council, South East.

The meeting was
earlier scheduled to start by 10.am but it was delayed for several
hours, following the absence of some key stakeholders.

It eventually commenced by 1.pm when it was obvious that Okorocha and other key stakeholders were not coming.

Some
inside sources who confided in journalists, blamed the absence of
notable South East APC leaders on their dissatisfaction with the
appointment of Miss Ikeazor, a political rookie without any electoral
antecedents as the Director of the Buhari Campaign in the South East.

Most
of the APC leaders were said to have seen her appointment as an attempt
by President Buhari to add salt to the injury already inflicted on
Ndigbo by his administration.

The meeting, however, went ahead without an array of South East APC bigwigs.

Answering
questions from journalists after the first session, Miss Ikeazor played
down the absence of Okorocha and others from the meeting, saying that
workings of government cannot ground to a halt because of politics.

She said Okorocha had his representative at the meeting, who would report back to him.

“You noticed that not all Ministers are here. Governance cannot ground to a halt because of politics,” she said.

On
the resolutions at the meeting, Ikeazor said since there was no longer
time, they resolved to adopt a targeted approach to see that Buhari wins
South East.

She said, “We have less than 40 days to the
presidential election. There has to be a targeted approach. That is why I
have called the meeting today. It’s a strategy meeting. So, we
strategised and harmonised our strategies in the five Eastern States for
us to be able to deliver Minister President and make a significant
change from past elections we have always done

“And that targeted
aproach is door to door campaign, group to group campaign. Going into
motor parks, markets, talking to our people one on one. This is no time
for rallies.

“We need to engage the populace, come down to theitr
level and talk to them. And we can achieve that. That is why you saw
the large turnout. Everyone from each of the five South Eastern
states-candidates, party members, National Working Committee members,
zonal leaders, our elders in the party , down to the National Assembly,
stakeholders-are strategising for Buhari to win,” Ikeazor said.

Others
at the meeting were Senators, Benjamin Uwajumogu and Andy Uba, the
National Vice Chairman, South East, Emma Eneukwu, National Auditor
George Muoghalu, Osita Okechukwu, Hope Uzodimma, Uche Ogar and Emeka
Wogu.

Source:- Dailypostng