Okorocha: I’m a darling to north… I can get same votes Buhari polled to become president

Rochas Okorocha, senator representing Imo west and presidential hopeful, says he has what it takes to win the presidential election for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Okorocha made it to the APC presidential screening in the last hours of the exercise on Tuesday, after he was able to perfect his bail conditions to leave the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The former Imo governor was arraigned on a 17-count charge of money laundering at a federal high court in Abuja on Monday and pleaded “not guilty”.

He was, however, granted him bail in the sum of N500 million and a surety in like sum.

Speaking on Wednesday when he featured on a programme on ARISE TV, Okorocha said he has the political influence in the north to win the presidential election.

“What should occupy the APC’s mind is who can defeat the presidential candidate of the PDP. Who is the man that can pull the same kind of votes as Buhari? Who is the man that can catch that number of votes from the north?” he asked.

“Rochas Okorocha is that man the north can look at and give the votes. I’m more acceptable in the north than anywhere. I’m a darling in the north. I have relationships in the north.

“If I run for election in Adamawa state today, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar will sweat for defeat.

“I can say that because I know what I have done in Adamawa. I challenge anyone to show me what they have done in the northern part of this country. There is something to sell Rochas Okorocha in the north.”

Okorocha also said the best decision the APC can make in the selection of the party’s flagbearer is to zone the ticket to the south-east.

“The best thing for APC is to go to the south-east immediately and pick a sound candidate. If the party does this, they would have neutralised PDP’s idea on lack of justice and equity,” he said.

In the 2019 general election, Buhari polled 15,191,847 votes to secure a second term in office, defeating Atiku Abubakar, his main rival and PDP member, who secured 11,262,978 votes.

However, in the April 2015 poll, Buhari got 15,424,921 votes to defeat incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan at the time, who polled 12,853,162 votes.