The factional winner of the October 6 All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Imo state, Uche Nwosu, has described as unacceptable the party’s move to submit its candidates lists to INEC without his name.
He said this is in clear violation of subsisting court order, which barred the party from accepting any other name other than his.
Daily Trust reports that the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, had submitted the name of his arch-rival, Senator Hope Uzodinma, as the APC governorship candidate for the 2019 election in Imo state.
Nwosu vowed to reclaim his mandate, insisting that he remains the authentic candidate of the party, irrespective of Oshiomhole’s announcement.
He also dismissed insinuations that he is defecting from the APC to pursue his ambition in another party, noting that he cannot abandon his mandate for any other party.
Nwosu, who spoke to our correspondent on Saturday, said he secured a valid mandate from the people of Imo, through a direct primary election, adding that the will of the people could not be truncated by whims and caprices of the National Chairman or any other person.
He expressed disappointment over what he described as Oshiomhole’s action and antics, which did not give hope to young people who hitherto had always looked up to him.
Nwosu also maintained that he had never and would never abandon the mandate given to him by the party members to be their governorship candidate for the 2019 election.
“My mandate is still intact, I still remain the candidate of the APC, I am very much shocked with the National Chairman who is speaking from the both sides of his mouth as a man of that age I thought he would have been upright.
“I will not leave APC, I still remain the authentic candidate of that party, I still have a valid Court Oder restraining the party from submitting any other name and also restraining INEC from accepting any other name other than my name and the matter is in Court.
“So, if they go anywhere and got another Court Order without knowing that there is a subsisting Court Order that must have been done in error, so the fact remains that I am the candidate of APC, it is just for a while and I will take up my mandate, I don’t have in mind to leave the mandate I already have for another party,” he said.
