Emeka Ihedioha

NEWS

Okorocha Dares Ihedioha To Arrest Him, Says “I’ll Visit Imo Whenever I Want”

Senator Rochas Okorocha has dared the Imo state government, led by Governor Emeka Ihedioha, to make good its threat and arrest him.

On Thursday, August 29, 2019, the Imo State government had asked citizens to arrest Okorocha over the alleged assault of Jasper Ndubuaku, a government official.

Ndubuaku is the Chairman of the Recovery of Government Properties in Imo.

The Commissioner of Police in Imo, Rabiu Ladodo and Secretary to the State Government Uche Onyeaguocha would later confirm the incident to journalists during a joint news briefing in Owerri.

Ndubuaku alleged that he was beaten up at Okorocha’s residence and thrown into a gutter by some thugs.

He further alleged that he was first held hostage for a couple of hours by the thugs in the presence of security personnel attached to Okorocha’s residence.He said that the recovery team obtained a court order to search Okorocha’s house.

“We got a court order to recover stolen properties kept in Okorocha’s house and when we got to his house on Thursday, armed thugs attacked us.

“There are twenty government vehicles in his house, four speed boats, one movable crane and generator sets, which we went to recover before the incident.

“We will not give up the battle, we will go back to his house because the property belongs to Imo government,” Ndubuaku said.

Afterwards, SSG Onyeaguocha issued the Okorocha arrest order. 

Okorocha, in a response through  Sam Onwuemeodo, his Special Adviser on media, laughed off the arrest order from the Imo state government.

“The arrest Order was an open invitation to anarchy or fracas in the state because Imo people will always come out to defend Okorocha. It also shows insensitivity on the side of the government in the State because such arrest order was uncalled for and Onyeaguocha has no right to issue an Order of that nature.

“The Order only adds to their continued disrespect for the former governor, which is a very bad precedent. After May 29, 2019, Owelle Okorocha relocated to Abuja. He was in Abuja when the recovery committee members slapped the daughter, Mrs. Uloma Rochas Nwosu, invaded and looted the shops of the wife, Nneoma and that of the daughter too. And just the previous week, Onyeaguocha invaded the private Guest House of the former governor.

“The government had written petitions to EFCC and ICPC. And these agencies have begun investigations, yet they do not want these bodies to do their work which also arose from their petitions.

“Onyeaguocha has repeatedly said that Chief Ihedioha does not have the capacity to govern the state and he has taken over the day to day running of the government. That is why he could give such an irresponsible Order against a former governor of the State.

“The same Thursday, Onyeaguocha led thugs to Sam Mbakwe airport and said they were waiting for the former governor. This is the first government in the history of the State that is fanning the ember of anarchy.

“They were rattled the day Okorocha came into the State for the first time after May 29, 2019 and he was received by a mammoth crowd. It then occurred to them that their blackmail and lies have not affected the love of Imo people for their beloved former governor. That is the reason for all these insensitive actions.

Okorocha of Imo State does the dance from a moving car during his governorship reign (SaharaReporters)

“Again, the PDP never won the 2019 governorship election. They have that issue to contend with. The governor had half of his bloated votes from the three LGAs in Mbaise where he comes from and in a State with twenty-seven Local Governments. So, they have that fear of the unknown. And due largely to this fear of the unknown they decided to resort to self-help.

“Before his inauguration as Governor, Chief Ihedioha said he would step on Okorocha’s toes and he has been doing that, throwing caution to the wind. And forgetting too that when you step on one’s toes unjustly your own could peel.

“Okorocha was governor for eight years, and for the eight years, he never harassed any Imo man or woman. He built guest houses for all his predecessors. He never quarreled with any of them. But the government in Imo now is tyrannical.

“Okorocha ran pro-people government but Ihedioha is running pro-elite and pro-godfather government. That is why he has been spending billions sponsoring pocket of protests and publications by PDP elders who always claim to be Imo elders. His government is floating because of its elite posture.

“Nigerians should watch the PDP government in Imo closely. It is wicked and tyrannical. Imo people have begun to have the kind of experiences they have never had since the creation of the State in 1976. It is just a government of intimidation and harassment.

“Okorocha will be in Imo whenever he deems it necessary to come, especially when he had transformed the State as governor and left it better than he met it. And had invested heavily in the State long before his governorship with his wife and children also having their businesses relocated to Owerri because they believe strongly in the State. Nigerians of good tidings should disregard the arrest order. It became void on arrival”, Okorocha said.


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NEWS

380.7km Imo Rural Roads Rescue Mission Projects, Not Ihedioha’s Projects

The ongoing construction of 380.7kms of rural roads across local governments in Imo state was a project initiated and perfected for kick off by the Rescue Mission team under former Governor Rochas Okorocha.

In a media release, a group, Imo Concerned Elders led by Chief Macron Onwuanibe said former Governor had maintained that his administration began the processes for the project gulping $60m assisted by the French Development Agency under the Rural Access and Mobility Project RAMP.

The group stated that at the flag off of the project few days to his exit in Avu local government area, Okorocha said that the processes leading to the approval of the project was facilitated by his administration for 7 years before the nod was given earlier this year.

The Imo Concerned Elders noted that the The Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District wants a breathe of fresh air to see his successor building on his many giant strides to continue to move the state forward.

Onwuanibe stated that “ We advised a few days ago that the governor needed to focus on governance and It is quite refreshing to see the government of the day in Imo has continued with the RAMP project which was one of the many project embarked upon by the former administration”

“ This is the way to go, government is a continuum and instead of the many attempts to paint Okorocha bad and rubbish his achievements, they should think more in this line”

The group of elders however advised the present government to stop claiming credit for the RAMP project or any other one initiated by the last administration.

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NEWS

Imo High Court Complex Abandoned Overtaken With Weed, Residents Query Govt Neglect

The new Imo State High Court Complex has been taken over by weed.

The complex, built by the immediate past administration in the state has been abandoned and subject to no use by the new administration.

Findings by our correspondents reveal that the multi-Million naira edifice constructed to serve the Imo state judiciary has been overtaken by weed.

A resident of Imo state, Mr Chidi Okafor who spoke to newsmen expressed displeasure over the development, noting how detrimental the action of the current government is to the progress of the state.

Okafor told newsmen that the situation has become worrisome with government neglecting meaningful infrastructural projects that would have aided the development of Imo state.

“I find this situation very embarrassing. The new government since it came to power has squarely been concerned with destroying and neglecting meaningful as well as impactful projects of the last administration.

“Look at the demolition of the Imo freedom falls and destruction of other ongoing projects conceived and paid for by the last regime. These projects were funded with our resources, the taxes we pay and our commonwealth.

“The present government should with utmost sincerity and the passion they have for this state settle its differences with the immediate past administration. We cannot watch things destabilize this way and destroy our heritage in the name of politics. They should find a way to bury their ego for the betterment of our state. Enough is Enough.”

Another resident, a lawyer who spoke to our correspondent anonymously noted that the current situation was not what electorates in the state had expected when Governor Emeka Ihedioha took over the reins.

She urged the new administration to consolidate on the many gains recorded under the last government and continue to drive the state forward.

“ Any serious government would have made it a point of duty to continue where the last administration stopped. I see no reason why he ( Emeka Ihedioha) would abandon an edifice such as this “.

Imo has in the last few months witnessed the alleged demolition of several of former Governor Rochas Okorocha’s “ legacy projects” by the new government, this has fueled speculations on the streets that the neglect suffered by the Imo State High court complex might not be unrelated to these claims.

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POLITICS

Okorocha: Why Imo Gov Ihedioha Is After Me

The immediate past governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, on Wednesday said his successor, Emeka Ihedioha, was destroying projects executed by his administration in order to discredit his achievements and the All Progressives Congress legacy in the South-East.

He also said the Peoples Democratic Party administration in the state was fighting him because of the defeat that the party suffered through him in the 2011 and 2015 general elections,  when he won the governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

Okorocha, who is now representing Imo West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, made the claims in a statement issued in Owerri on Wednesday by his media aide, Sam Onwuemeodo.

He alleged that his successor wanted to destroy the APC in the South-East at all cost.

The senator said the PDP stalwarts in the state were still angry with him for making sure that former President Goodluck Jonathan’s voting strength in the South-East in the 2019 general elections was challenged.

The statement read in part, “The Governor Emeka Ihedioha-led PDP government in the state is simply fighting back because of the defeat they suffered in 2011 and 2015 in the hands of Senator Rochas Okorocha.

“They are also playing the politics of how to remain in power in the state having known that they didn’t win the 2019 governorship election because before now, nobody had become the governor of the state with bloated figures from only three out of the 27 local government areas in the state.

“For them too, having known that Imo remains the strongest hold of APC in the South-East, they now feel that once APC is destroyed in Imo, the party has been destroyed in the South-East. That is another major reason for the current hostility against Okorocha, his amazing achievements and APC members in Imo.”

The Senator also said his administration left N42.5bn in the state coffers, but alleging that Ihedioha had not fixed any bad road since he became governor.

But Ihedioha, while reacting through his Special Adviser on media, Steve Osuji, said Okorocha’s allegations against him were baseless.

He said, “The Imo State Governor is more preoccupied with the challenges of rebuilding the state.”

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NEWS

Outrage as Imo Gov Ihedioha Allegedly Demolish Rochas Freedom Square Project

Residents of Imo State’s capital, Owerri were left bewildered as the Freedom Park, built by the immediate past governor, Rochas Okorocha was demolished on August 1.

The sound of earth-moving equipment and heavy machinery dominated the air as the park, built barely two years ago, was torn down in a flagrant show of force. The fountain was reduced to a pile of iron and concrete as on-lookers gathered to catch a glimpse of the wreckage.

Freedom Park, or Freedom Square as it is also called, is one of the attractions erected by Okorocha during his term as governor. The park was a fair distance from the State House and has been described as ‘t?he safe house of Owerri, a place where everyone is equal irrespective of politics and religion?’. Recently, it has become a hotspot for late-night revellers and tourists.

While most residents are at a loss to explain the events of August 1, there is a general sentiment that the demolition was ordered by new Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha.

The events share parallels with the levelling of another tourist attraction, Akachi Tower in May. The tower, also built by Okorocha, was demolished days after his successor was sworn in.

During its inauguration, Okorocha said Akachi Tower signified the generous hand of God over the state. The tower, along Owerri’s Akachi Road, featured a spiral staircase, topped by a defiant fist.

The tower was pulled down with a demolition truck before the culprits, numbering over a dozen, were reportedly removed from the scene by men in military fatigues. The new Imo State Governor did not respond to rumours of his involvement.

The demolition of tourist attractions like the Akachi Tower and Freedom Square has set off conversations about the new administration’s perceived intention to revise a chapter of Imo’s history.

During his tenure, Okorocha erected many edifices as part of his efforts to turn Imo State, and Owerri in particular, into a tourism hub.

The Imo State Governor is yet to release an official statement on the matter.

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