Uche Amunike
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has denied the widely-reported news that former governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha has been suspended from the APC for alleged anti-party activities, saying that the letter was forged.
The party made this known in a statement released by its Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, John James Akpanudoedehe, which was titled, ‘APC Alerts on Fake Letter of Senator Rochas Okorocha’s Suspension’.
According to him, the letter was purportedly signed by the APC Caretaker/Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni and Secretary, Senator John Akpanudoehede.
Said he: ‘The letter is fake. It is not from us (APC). My signature was forged. The signature on that letter is copy and paste’, he confirmed.
The purported two-page letter with a reference number APC/NHDQ/SP/19/022/41 dated 12th July, 2021 was titled: ‘Re: Notification of Your Suspension from the All Progressives Congress (APC) for gross anti-party.’
Also former Imo governorship aspirant, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume has denied claims that he joined the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
A statement by Ararume Destiny Group said, Tuesday night, that the report was false. He described as mischievous, the reports that senator Ararume and Rochas Okorocha had defected to the PDP because of the face-off between them and the Imo state Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma.
The statement which was signed by Hon Stanley Nzekwe maintained that those behind Ararume’s defection rumour are merely political enemies who are threatened by his weight and influence in the state.
The statement read: ‘It has come to the attention of the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress that a fake letter of a purported suspension of Senator Rochas Okorocha from the party is circulating in the public space.’
‘Fifth columnists and forgers have obviously taken advantage of the unfortunate and recent leaks of our official correspondences with the Independent National Electoral Commission to copy and paste forged signatures of the CECPC Chairman and Secretary on equally fake letters.’
‘The APC does not currently have a “National Working Committee” as stated in the fake letter, but a Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee which has been saddled with the mandate to reposition, unite and strengthen our great party’.
‘We call on the discerning public to be wary of fifth columnists and jobbers relentlessly scheming to use every opportunity to stoke crisis in the party and polity through fake news’.
‘We also urge the media to always rely on our well-known and official communication and publicity channels to get information on the activities of the party’.
‘We urge everyone to discountenance the fake letter as it is a figment of the imagination of fifth columnists.’
Recall that in the purported suspension letter dated July 12 and signed by Acting National Chairman, Mai Mala Buni and Party scribe, John Akpanudoedehe, some of the alleged anti-party activities that Okorocha was accused of included flagrant abuse on the person and office of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, (APC-led government); working in opposition to the APC-led government in the state; continuous discreet meetings with the opposition party both at the state and national level and sundry outstanding disciplinary issues with the party at the state level.
