Except there is a last-minute postponement, 20 Imo lawmakers will this Wednesday morning, March 28, 2018, endorse on camera, Governor Rochas Okorocha’s son-in-law and Chief of Staff, Hon. Uche Nwosu, as his successor.

A usually reliable source at the Imo State Government House in Owerri disclosed last night that Okorocha decided to take this step because he is reportedly furious that the 20 lawmakers who had purportedly endorsed Nwosu in secret turned round to deny the claim.

The source revealed that the recording of the endorsements of the said 20 lawmakers has been scheduled to take place at Kelvic Suites located in New Owerri, behind New Concorde Hotel, by 10:00 a.m., today, Wednesday, March 28, 2018.

The hotel, said to be owned by the Deputy Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, who is also from the same Federal Constituency with Hon. Nwosu, has reportedly become a beehive ahead of the event.

Okorocha is said to have threatened to deny any lawmaker who fails to endorse his son-in-law on camera a ticket to return to the House in 2019.

A member of the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Henry Ezediaro, had last week addressed the press, alleging that 20 lawmakers had endorsed the governorship ambition of Hon. Nwosu.

Highlighting more on the reasons for supporting Nwosu, Ezediaro said: “Uche Nwosu was the pioneer candidate of APC in 2014, the party endorsed him to run for governor, he has not changed since then.”

Ezediaro listed the following lawmakers to be in support of the endorsement: Speaker, Acho Ihim representing Okigwe, Ugonna Ozuruigbo representing (Nwangele) Luggard Osuji, former Majority leader (Owerri Municipal), Kennedy Ibe (Obowo), Chukwuemeka Lloyd (Owerri North) Ekenna Nzerue (Oru East), Innocent Egwim (Ideato North), Obinna Egu (Ngor Okpala), Ngozi Obiefula (Isu) and Uju Onwudiwe (Njaba).

Others are Victor Onyewuchi (Owerri West), Uche Agabiga (Orsu), Emma Orie (Ohaji/Egbema), Ikechukwu Anwunka (Ideato South), Henry Ezediaro (Oguta), Roman Duruji (Ehime Mbano), Chinedu Offor (Onuimo) and Marcel Odunze (Orlu).

Angered by Ezediaro’s revelation, the lawmakers, in a twist, accused him of telling lies against them, with some of them distancing and out rightly backing down on the said endorsement of Nwosu.

According an Owerri-based tabloid, some of the lawmakers who preferred to speak on the condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said: “We are surprised that one of us will go to tell the press that 20 of us who had a meeting at the Speaker’s residence, endorsed Nwosu. There is nothing like that. We enjoined him to make the agenda public than use our names to gain cheap scores from the governor and his son-in-law.

“If we wanted to tell the public about the endorsement of Uche Nwosu as the outcome of our meeting, the press would have been invited for briefing than allowing one of us to speak on our behalf.”

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