A former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, has said that without him and Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, the All Progressives Congress (APC) would have existed in Imo state.

Okorocha spoke in Owerri, through his media aide, Sam Onwuemeodo, while reacting to the Imo state governor, Hope Uzodimma’s statement that he has refused to participate in the APC registration/revalidation exercise in the state.

The Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District noted that he and Araraume were the ones making APC thick in the state.

He said: “The media had reported what the Imo State Governor, His Excellency, Chief Hope Uzodinma told the APC’s appeal Committee, on the Party’s Registration and Revalidation exercise. That, Senator Okorocha refused to be registered as an APC member in Imo during the exercise.

“This Claim could only be laughable to most Nigerians who still remember how APC came to Imo and indeed, to the South-East. Okorocha needed to revalidate his membership of APC and not to register as an APC member. Governor Uzodinma has always delighted in propaganda that does not fly again.

“The registration and revalidation exercise didn’t take place anywhere in Imo. It was done at the Nick Banquet Hall in Government House, Owerri. The governor’s appointees were generating fictitious names at the Local Government level and take them to the Government House, to be enrolled.

“We Challenge the governor to tell the public how the exercise was carried out in Imo. Whether it was by Polling unit by Polling unit, like Okorocha did when APC anchored. Or, Ward by Ward or by Local Government by Local Government. And let’s take off from there.

“If Okorocha had refused to be registered like our governor had claimed, what happened to Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and his Destiny Political family, who produced Six House of Assembly members, that joined others to give Governor Uzodinma the Majority in the House?”

“What happened to top Imo Politicians in APC and their supporters who could not go to the Government House to be part of the abracadabra, including Sir Jude Ejiogu, Lady Chidinma Uwajumogu, who was a senatorial aspirant and a mobilizer of note, High Chief Chidi Ibeh (MFR) and so on?

“The Appeal Panel should take note of what the governor had told them, but should please ignore that, in the overall interest of the Party. Beyond his claim, under governor Uzodinma, there is no ward in Imo today APC can be sure of winning in the event of election. Those who made the party thick in the State have been side-lined. Nobody can talk about healthy APC in Imo without Okorocha’s Rescue Mission family and Araraume’s Destiny Organization. Any other claim is pool betting, nobody can vouch for.”