Okorocha Denies Rift with Catholic Church, Cautions Oshiomhole over Utterances

The Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Mr. Rochas Okorocha, has said that he had no issues with the Catholic Church in the state especially with the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev. Anthony Obinna as alleged by the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole recently, claiming that the bishop wanted a perfect leadership in the state which was not possible.

Okorocha responded through his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo to the allegation by Oshiomhole who had rendered an apology to the cleric last week when he was defending the decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling party over the rejection of the nomination of Uche Nwosu, Okorocha’s son-in-law, as the governorship candidate of the party in the forthcoming election in the state.

Okorocha described the apology as uncalled for since there was no issue at stake with the clergy.

According to Okorocha, “we won’t toe the path of Oshiomhole. We recognise the fact that he is the National Chairman of a ruling party which President Muhammadu Buhari is the leader, and we would not therefore throw caution to the wind like he did, when he was abusing or attacking governors in his party as if he is the Publicity Secretary of any of the political parties in opposition.

“If he had asked question, he would have discovered that members of the Catholic Church in the state Cconstitute the bulk of Governor Okorocha’s supporters especially at the grassroots. They voted for him overwhelmingly in 2011 and 2015 respectively. And he has never taken their support for granted. He has shown gratitude in several ways which cannot be catalogued in this response, including making them majority in his cabinet.”