Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of making attempts to remove him from office. The governor said at the weekend at the inauguration of the state executive of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Owerri that 26 out of the 27 members of the state House of Assembly were brought to Abuja and paid N100 million each to impeach him. According to him, one of the lawmakers brought his booty to him Okorocha.
He said: “What have I done wrong in Imo that these people will be after me like this? Haven’t I done everything that I promised to do for Imo people? PDP has so annoyed me and they seem to have forgotten the kind of person I am.” Okorocha expressed regrets that all the people that stole public funds in Imo were now sheltered in PDP and had been ganging up against him and the people.
He added that the gang-up against him started from Oguta Local Government Area during the run-up to the Oguta House of Assembly constituency re-run election where he said the PDP candidate, Eugene Dibiagwu and some thugs blocked his convoy from entering the community. This, he said, was followed by an assault from Senator Chris Anyanwu who rammed into his convoy at Azara Egbelu near Owerri. “Yet, I didn’t react negatively as was expected because that was a breach of protocol and security,” he stated.
The governor explained that despite his not losing his cool over the attack on him, he was again attacked during the burial of the late jurist, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa in Oguta.
“I paid N10 million for the late jurist’s hospital bill and another N25 million for the burial arrangements and additional N6 million to repair the state high court premises in honour of Justice Oputa. Then I moved with the entire state executive council to pay my last respects to an achiever. I went to the altar to speak as the number one citizen of the state; the microphone was snatched away from me. Which governor in Nigeria would have tolerated all these? PDP has annoyed me and they have forgotten who I am.
“Having failed in their bid to bring me down at all cost, the PDP started paying N5, 000 each to bus and tricycle drivers and people at newspaper stands to castigate the APC as a Muslim and Boko Haram party because I prevented them from bombing a church here. APC we all know is neither a Muslim party nor a Boko Haram party,” he said.
Okorocha explained that he had achieved more in three years that he has been in power than the 12 years of PDP put together. While charging the newly-inaugurated party leaders to challenge the opposition with the projects by his administration in all their communities across the state, he donated 150 vehicles for the state and local government officers of the party.
Efforts by New Telegraph to get the Speaker, Chief Benjamin Uwjumogu, to react to the allegations against the lawmakers were not successful as he failed to take calls put through to his mobile phone. His Special Adviser (Media), Mr. Emeka Ahaneku, also declined com-ment, saying:”I cannot comment on this, I am not a house member.” The House Majority Leader, Adaku Ihuoma, when contacted, said she was overseas at the time and could not comment on the allegation as she did not have details of the incident.
But Chairman, House Committee on Information, Acho Ihim, said: “The governor may not be wrong because he has his own unofficial sources of information which I cannot question but what I can only speak about is what has been officially presented on the floor of the assembly. And no such thing or move has come to the floor of the house. Though there may pockets of agitations here and there.”
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He said: “What have I done wrong in Imo that these people will be after me like this? Haven’t I done everything that I promised to do for Imo people? PDP has so annoyed me and they seem to have forgotten the kind of person I am.” Okorocha expressed regrets that all the people that stole public funds in Imo were now sheltered in PDP and had been ganging up against him and the people.
He added that the gang-up against him started from Oguta Local Government Area during the run-up to the Oguta House of Assembly constituency re-run election where he said the PDP candidate, Eugene Dibiagwu and some thugs blocked his convoy from entering the community. This, he said, was followed by an assault from Senator Chris Anyanwu who rammed into his convoy at Azara Egbelu near Owerri. “Yet, I didn’t react negatively as was expected because that was a breach of protocol and security,” he stated.
The governor explained that despite his not losing his cool over the attack on him, he was again attacked during the burial of the late jurist, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa in Oguta.
“I paid N10 million for the late jurist’s hospital bill and another N25 million for the burial arrangements and additional N6 million to repair the state high court premises in honour of Justice Oputa. Then I moved with the entire state executive council to pay my last respects to an achiever. I went to the altar to speak as the number one citizen of the state; the microphone was snatched away from me. Which governor in Nigeria would have tolerated all these? PDP has annoyed me and they have forgotten who I am.
“Having failed in their bid to bring me down at all cost, the PDP started paying N5, 000 each to bus and tricycle drivers and people at newspaper stands to castigate the APC as a Muslim and Boko Haram party because I prevented them from bombing a church here. APC we all know is neither a Muslim party nor a Boko Haram party,” he said.
Okorocha explained that he had achieved more in three years that he has been in power than the 12 years of PDP put together. While charging the newly-inaugurated party leaders to challenge the opposition with the projects by his administration in all their communities across the state, he donated 150 vehicles for the state and local government officers of the party.
Efforts by New Telegraph to get the Speaker, Chief Benjamin Uwjumogu, to react to the allegations against the lawmakers were not successful as he failed to take calls put through to his mobile phone. His Special Adviser (Media), Mr. Emeka Ahaneku, also declined com-ment, saying:”I cannot comment on this, I am not a house member.” The House Majority Leader, Adaku Ihuoma, when contacted, said she was overseas at the time and could not comment on the allegation as she did not have details of the incident.
But Chairman, House Committee on Information, Acho Ihim, said: “The governor may not be wrong because he has his own unofficial sources of information which I cannot question but what I can only speak about is what has been officially presented on the floor of the assembly. And no such thing or move has come to the floor of the house. Though there may pockets of agitations here and there.”
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