Rochas Okorocha: 'One year after, APC hasn't been able to manage its God-given victory'

Imo state Governor and Chairman of the APC Governors forum, Rochas Okorocha, has said that APC has not been able to manage its God-given victory very well, one year and several months after the party won the presidential election.

Okorocha said this when he paid a visit to APC members in the Senate. He visited the Senators to seek solutions to the cold relationship between the executive arm of government, the National Assembly and the party

"I am here because I am a stakeholder. I am here as the Chairman of the Progressives Governors' Forum - your friends and colleagues in the struggle. Mr. Senate President, leaders of these great Senate, you may recall a few years ago that we were all in the trenches, in battle, asking for change in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I recall vividly the role most of you played in that very struggle. We became a government when no one gave us a chance to be so. And shortly, Nigerians believed in us and entrusted us with the responsibility of leading this nation. But one year and several months after, we have not been able to manage this God-given victory very well and it is very worrisome, Mr. Senate President. That Nigerians expects so much from us but yet we seem to be in crisis within ourselves. Not crisis made by the opposition parties but crisis created by ourselves for ourselves and which has kept us in total difficult position that we are not making the headway we need to make as a party. One wonders then what went wrong. Where did we get it wrong? And after these troubles and after the much hope we have given to Nigerians, we still cannot work together as a party, as a family. And I noticed particularly that there is so much bitterness in the system - from the party, from the legislature, from the executive, from the governors - and it seems to me like there is no more platform for us to chant those old songs which we used to sing in the days of struggle for change. One wonders, was this what we were asking for or was this the change we were asking for. 

I think Nigerians expect so much from us and at the end of it all. Nigerians will not ask us, how many of each other we have been able to destroy or how many we have been able to bring down. But they will ask us how many plates of food have we put on the table of the common man who elected us. So, I am here Mr. President of the Senate to call for unity among us and our party. And to sheath our sword in whatever form anger has gotten to us. We noticed and we know that we are a party in majority at the National Assembly and we are a party with majority in the number of governors - state houses of assembly - but we notice there is no cordial relationship between the Governors, the Executive and the legislature. And let me reemphasize that in all these arms of government, it is only the legislature with the executive that are the elected members. Not the Judiciary. And Nigerians will hold us responsible as the executive and legislative arms of government. So, we must act quickly to ensure peace reigns among us. I have discussed with the party - that was my first point of call - to seek what we must do to forge a way forward. 

The Governors recently met with the President all in a bid to move this party forward and bring about unity. Today, I am before you, the Senate President, number three citizen of this country and I ask you to use your wisdom to bring peace among our party. We need to enjoy that very vibrancy for which the National Assembly has been known for. We need to enjoy those things that PDP used to enjoy when they were a majority in the National Assembly. The APC government must see you as majority in the National Assembly not minority in the house. My Senate President, my Senate President, my Senate President, to whom much is given, much is expected and two wrongs can never make a right. It takes one arm of a relationship to make good the other. I liken my situation to what I see in my own government that it is difficult to succeed as an executive if you do not have the proper support of the legislature. 

I will appeal that we make amends where possible to ensure smooth running of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And we intend again, to hold a meeting between the executive, the legislature and the governors and the presidency as soon as possible. I may suggest that His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, has also agreed to address the leadership of our party very soon. But before then, I think all the rough edges must be smoothened. So we can truly tell the world that we are the government in power - our government is in the majority. Again, I want to thank you for the time taken to receive me and pray that this very visit would mark a new beginning in our relationship. Thank you"he said