The governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has reacted to the widespread reports that he has released presidential campaign posters.
Governor Okorocha has distanced himself from the posters bearing his image as running mate to the Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima for the 2019 presidential election, pasted in some parts of Owerri, the state capital.
In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Sam Onwuemeodo, the governor said the poster saga was another act of mischief by elements cowed by what he had achieved as governor of Imo State and what he represents in the politics of the South-East and Nigeria in general.
“Those behind this mischief first invaded the social media with the fake posters and when they discovered that the comments by decent men and women had all doubted the source and the genuineness of the posters, they decided to paste them in Abuja”, the statement read in part.
The statement said it was difficult to tell what the characters behind the posters wanted to achieve. Onwuemeodo averred that it seemed the mischief makers’ only intention was to sow seeds of discord in the relationship existing between President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Okorocha.
Continuing he said: “Interestingly, Governor Okorocha has for some times now been reported to have told those willing to hear that he won’t run for the 2019 presidential election because of President Buhari. By repeatedly saying that, he succeeded in disarming the little minds who had used that issue to blackmail him.
And now they have begun to publish Okorocha being the Vice-Presidential running mate to Governor Shettima.”
Noting that the poster plot cannot fly, Onwuemeodo, maintained that Governor Rochas Okorocha is not known for double-standard.