2019: Saraki’s decision to leave APC will not affect party – Okorocha

Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo has said that the decision of Dr Bukola Saraki,President of the Senate, to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) will not in anyway affect the party electoral victory in 2019 general elections.

He stated this while speaking with newsmen at the party’s national secretariat on Tuesday in Abuja in reaction to the development.

Okorocha, who is also the chairman of the All Progressives Governor’s Forum, spoke after a closed-door meeting with Mr Adams Oshiomhole the party’s National Chairman.

“I don’t know when they joined the party and I don’t have to know when they are leaving the party.

“People are entitled to their opinions about how they see issues, political party is just like a vehicle with which you get to your point of destination.

“And if they find out that they can no longer get what they want in APC and they want to go to other parties, it is good luck.

“But the question you should ask me, is how that will affect the APC, I don’t see any way it can affect the party negatively,” Okorocha said.

He maintained that President Muhammadu Buhari would win the 2019 presidential election even without the Senate President in the party.

Okorocha said this was especially so because Buhari was much stronger on ground now and would do better than he did before in terms of electoral victory come 2019.

He stressed that the decision of the Senate President to leave the APC was allowed, adding that as he leaves, many more people were finding their way into the party in their thousands.

“It’s neither here nor there, so we shouldn’t make a big issue out of it.

“Saraki is entitled to his political opinion and if he wants to leave, good luck to him and if the governor of Kwara, my colleague wants to leave, good luck.

“They are all responsible men and you cannot tire them down to where they don’t want to be,” Okorocha said.

Our correspondent reports that Saraki made his decision to leave the APC known via his Facebook account on Tuesday evening.

The President of the Senate wrote: “I wish to inform Nigerians that, after extensive consultations, I have decided to take my leave of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

In a statement later on Tuesday, he expectedly named the PDP as his next political destination..