Okorocha inaugurates Political Bureau, Elders Council

while others were commemorating the anniversary of the assassination
of the late presidential candidate of SDP, Chief M.K.O. Abiola whose
victory on June 12, 1996 was scuttled by the Association for Better
Nigeria (ABN) led by ageless Senator Arthur Nzeribe, the Imo State
Governor, Rochas Okorocha went on air, reeling out names of those he
claims to have constituted into a political Bureau and those of an Imo
Elders Council to ostensibly shore up support for 2019. But rather
than establishing a political bureau with a Director-General and other
technocrats to oversee the office as the case may be or as a
government department or part of government department, Okorocha
simply mentioned names of his currently serving aides, incumbent law
makers and a few members of the Destiny Organization of Distinguished
Senator Ifeanyi Araraume as members. The appointments have been
interpreted in several quarters to mean that he is considering the
indomitable, untiring and unrelenting "Ugwumba Okigwe" for succession
or another move to rubbish the Senators' hard won image and reputation
after encouraging his son-in-law to take the same "Ugwumba title" as
Senator Ifeanyi Araraume. Political pundits have already averred that
the new move is to discourage the veteran politician and serial
contestant for the Governorship of Imo State, since 2007, from rocking
the APC boat as has been severally speculated, in various political
quarters.
Araraume has been on a mobilization blitz or spree of recent, driving
in a long convoy with his LGAs men and women co-ordinators. He has
also reached out to former speakers and members of Imo State House of
Assembly such as Kelechi Kennedy Nwagwu and Celestine Ngaobiwu among
many others for support.