A former governor of Imo State , Rochas Okorocha , on Sunday said that the state governor , Hope Uzodimma , assembled “ desperate political office seekers” on Saturday to abuse him.
Okorocha , in a statement by his spokesperson , Sam Onwuemeodo , said the individuals who gathered at a stakeholders ’ meeting organised by the government in the state , were not recognised members of the All Progressives Congress.
The statement said real stakeholders would have asked the governor why he had allegedly refused to pay workers salaries.
The statement reads partly, “ A meeting of stakeholders would not have held in Imo and out of the five governors that had governed the state , only one , Chief Ikedi Ohakim , was there . And he was reported to have joined the governor ’s own faction of APC .
“ No Senator from the state, former or present since 1999 was there . No House of Representatives’ member , former or present , from 1999 till date was there .
No Speaker, former or present since 1999 till date , was there , except the one who is also a member of his own faction of APC .
“ Aside Prof. Marince Iwu , who was there because his younger brother is the Secretary to the State Government , no other prominent citizen of the state was there , including those in business and politics and so on .
“ If the stakeholders of Imo State were there , they would have asked the governor to tell them what he had done with about N 60 bn loan, N 56 bn federal allocation, N 8 bn ISOPADEC fund , N 42 bn local government funds, IGR of N 69 bn and billions of naira from donor agencies. But the factional APC members only abused Okorocha and left with their fuel or transport money .”
Okorocha faulted the governor on claims that he to constructed and rehabilitated some roads.
“ The truth is that most of the roads the governor had claimed to have constructed and rehabilitated were roads constructed by Okorocha . Otherwise, let the governor mention one virgin road he had undertaken its construction since he came on board .”
Responding , Uzodimma ’s Senior Special Assistant on print Media , Modestus Nwamkpa, cautioned Okorocha to stop “ peddling lies.”
Nwamkpa, said that it was wrong for Okorocha to had asserted that a stakeholders meeting that had four out of five former deputy governors, a former governor, four former speakers , former and current members of the National Assembly , religious leaders , including Catholic and Anglican bishops, as a meeting of Uzodimma ’ s loyalists .
He said “ Okorocha should stop telling lies to Imo people . What should preoccupy his mind now is how to return diverted assets to Imo people . ”
Source: PUNCH
Author credit: Chidiebube Okeoma