APC suspends Amosun and Okorocha for not backing its governorship candidates in their states

GOVERNORS Ibikunle Amosun and Rochas Okorocha have been suspended from the All Progressives Congress (APC) after its National Working Committee (NWC) found them guilty of engaging in anti-party activities.

Both governors who were recently elected into the senate, have been at loggerheads with party officials lately for not backing the official APC governorship candidates in their states. Governor Okorocha is backing his son-in-law Uche Nwosu who is standing as an Action Alliance candidate in Imo State, while Governor Amosun is backing his protégé Adekunle Akinlade, who is standing as the Allied Peoples' Movement (APM) candidate in Ogun State.

In both instances, the governors are unhappy with the APC for not adopting their candidates for governor and have defied the party NWC to back their men. Despite repeated pleas for them to roe the party lines, Governors Okorocha and Amosun have remained defiant, forcing President Muhammadu Buhari to back down and allow them support their hand-picked candidates.

However, with the presidential elections now out of the way and President Buhari returned to office, the APC NWC no longer needs the two governors and has decided to move against them. After a meeting earlier today, it was decided to suspend the two governors, with the NWV recommending that they even be expelled.

APC publicity secretary Lanre Issa-Onilu, said: “A statement is in the works. I confirm the report to be true.”

Also suspended are the minister of Niger Delta Affairs Usani Uguru and the director-general of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu. It is believed that they too have refused to back the APC gubernatorial candidates in their respective states.