Okorocha: Atiku’s departure a big loss to APC, attacks Tinubu

Rochas Okorocha, the Imo state Governor has described the exit of Atiku Abubakar from the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP as a bad development for the party.
He stated this after receiving a honorary doctorate degree from the Adekunle Ajasin University.
Okorocha said; “I have taken a holistic view of our party, it (Atiku’s exit ) is not the best because no matter how anybody thinks, Atiku carries some political weight. His leaving our party is not the best.”
Reacting to a statement credited to the national leader of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu,  that no automatic ticket will be given to Buhari for the 2019 elections.
He said; “The (Tinubu’s) statement came to me as a surprise, come to think of it, I never referred to him. I refer to the governors of Nigeria including the PDP governors and I said only one or two of them have not joined yet.
“Since I made the statement, no governor has said something contrary to what I said. I am surprised that Asiwaju will now be speaking for the governors. He looks like somebody crying more than the bereaved.
“I did not see reason for the statement actually. But he commands my respect and I don’t want to join issue with the National Leader of my party.
“What I mentioned was for the governors and secondly what I said is support.The word I use is support that does not mean there will not be primary.Governors can only contribute only 37 votes, we still have over 5, 000 votes up there. What I was talking about was governors.
“I was not talking about other party members. Governors alone do not determine the flagbearer of a party.If you recall, I said but for Buhari, I would have run for the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.But I found in him a man credible and he still has four years term to do.”