The National Chairman of the United Progressives Party, UPP, Chief Chekwas Okorie, has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari was not prepared for governance before he came into power.
According to him, Buhari came on board with what he described as ‘jackboot mentality.’
Okorie made this assertions Tuesday, when he paid a courtesy call on the leader of the Biafra Independence Movement, BIM, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, in Owerri.
“It is a very sad commentary that Nigerians are passing through very harsh times and this is principally midwifed by the fact that President Buhari did not prepare for governance before stepping into office”, Chief Okorie said.
According to the UPP National Chairman, “from what we have seen so far, it appears that President Buhari’s primary motive was simply to win the presidential election”.
While lamenting that it took the President several months before he could unveil his cabinet, Okorie equally lamented that so many government parastatals and agencies cannot operate optimally because they do not have boards to oversee their affairs.
“Another good example of the President’s bad approach to governance is the issue of the Niger Delta upheaval. He didn’t manage it well. He came on board with the jackboot mentality over the matter and of course, he failed”, Okorie said.
He further called on the Federal Government to “reflate the nation’s economy, so as to ameliorate the present ugly economic situation in the country”. While giving his full support for the current calls for restructuring of Nigeria, the UPP National Chairman reasoned that “the present structure of Nigeria is not made to encourage enterprise”.
“UPP will bring the recommendations of the recent National Conference to the front burner. Already, we have set up a committee to look at the document. UPP will make it an issue during the 2019 election campaign”, Okorie said.
Speaking on the plight of Imo pensioners, the UPP boss said: “Governor Rochas Okorocha is a very big embarrassment to Ndigbo. He has messed up Imo State. He is not worried about the lamentation of the citizenry and it does not appear that he wants to change his obnoxious style.
“The way Chief Okorocha has been treating pensioners, to say the least, is most shocking. To Imo people, 2019 appears to be eternity. The worst thing that can happen is for any right thinking Imo citizen to vote for All Progressives Congress, APC, or any stooge Okorocha brings up”, Okorie said.
Speaking earlier, Chief Uwazuruike said that Ndigbo needed forward looking people to manage their affairs and not self seeking individuals that reversed and destroyed Igbo fortune.
“The ability to sincerely work for Ndigbo is completely different from working for self aggrandisement. I am not vying for any political office. I prefer staying at the background and call the shots”, Uwazuruike said.