APC national auditor blasts Okorocha for appointing Nnamani as party leader

- The national auditor of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief George Moghalu is not a happy man at the moment

- Moghalu is upset with a recent action by Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state

- He berated Okorocha for attempting to determine the leadership of the party in the South-east

The national auditor of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief George Moghalu has berated Governor Rochas Okorocha for attempting to determine the leadership of the party in the South-east.

Last week, the governor had allegedly declared a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, who recently defected to the party as its leader in the region.

The governor's action generated criticisms from APC chieftains in the region and Moghalu has added his voice to it.

Reacting to the development on Wednesday, February 1 in Abuja, Moghalu said it was impossible to foist Nnamani on the zonal chapter of the party as its leader.

READ ALSO: Okorocha insists Igbos will get presidency in 2023

The APC national officer also asked the governor to stop appropriating the lead­ership of the party in the South east to new comers, adding that Okorocha has no capacity to foist Nnamani on the party.

His words: “You see, one thing about leadership, and I have said it several times, is that a leader isn’t appointed. You can elect a chairman; you can elect a secretary, a gover­nor or a president. A leader evolves from amongst the peo­ple.”

“It is your activities; it is your relationship and the lev­el of communication you have with the people that deter­mines your leadership. It is not by appointment and I believe everyone understands that.

“You don’t appoint a leader, you don’t elect a leader except in a case where you have the constitutional provision but in a situation where you are talk­ing about the South East as a people, leadership will always evolve from amongst the peo­ple and those who are lead­ers in their own rights.

''The Dr. Ogbonnaya Onus, the Chris Ngiges, these are leaders that have earned their status and there was no day we conduct­ed an election to say that we elected Dr Onu as leader or Dr Ngige as leader, they evolved. I am also a leader by every struc­ture of imagination but it has to evolve from amongst the peo­ple.”

READ ALSO: Obiano attacks Governor Okorocha

Meanwhile, Governor Okorocha has stated that nobody from the south-eastern part of Nigeria can become the president the country without the support of the APC.

Okorocha, who reportedly spoke at an APC south-east stakeholders meeting in Owerri called on Igbos to support the APC which can guarantee their presidency.

Fayemi sues state House of Assembly member, Fayose’s aide to court for libel

- Two state officials, a member of House of Assembly and Governor Fayose’s media aide are standing trial for allegedly making defamatory statements against Fayemi

- Former governor of Ekiti state, Kayode Fayemi slammed the duo with a N3 billion libel suit

Former governor of Ekiti state and minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, has taken two Ekiti state officials to court, for a libel suit. The minister slammed the officials with a N3 billion libel suit over alleged defamatory statements made against him.

Fayemi filed the suit against a member of the Ekiti state House of Assembly, Samuel Omotoso, and the special assistant on new media and public communications to Governor Ayodele Fayose, Lere Olayinka.

Former Ekiti governor, Fayemi sues state House of Assembly member, Fayose’s aides to court

READ ALSO: I will return to Nigeria as soon as possible – Ibori

According to Premium Times, the suit followed the refusal of the defendants to retract the statements made against the minister and to tender public apology as demanded by his counsel, Rafiu Balogun, in a letter dated November 19, 2016.

Fayemi in a suit number 6/577/2016, filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in the Abuja Judicial Division, is seeking among others, payment of “aggravated damages” to the tune of N3 billion.

The amount has a breakdown of N2 billion against Lere Olayinka, the first defendant and another N1bilion aggravated damages against Mr. Omotoso, the second defendant.

Fayemi is also seeking a retraction of what he termed the offensive statements/utterances; a public apology to be published and aired on Ekiti State Television and Channels Television as well as the social media.

READ ALSO: We cannot sit in our homes and complain about leadership - Folu Adeboye

According to a statement by Fayemi’s media aide, both Omotoso and Olayinka had during an EKTV live programme also broadcast on a cable network, Startimes, on July 6, 2016 alleged that Mr. Fayemi illegally took N1.5 billion from Ekiti treasury and gave it to the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Muhammadu Buhari, to win the 2015 presidential election.

Meanwhile, Ekiti Youth Vanguard has come out to criticized the state House of Assembly over call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate former Governor Kayode Fayemi over an alleged N40 billion fraud.

The youth group described the move as a tactic by Governor Ayodele Fayose and “his men in the House of Assembly” to divert the attention of Ekiti people from the “mindless looting of the state treasury by Fayose’s administration while workers remain unpaid for six months”.