The Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha OON, has come very hard on his immediate predecessor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim describing him as a shameless liar. Okorocha stated this while reacting to the recent launching of Chief Ikedi Ohakims books, “legacies that speak,” in which he enumerated a number of his achievements while in office claiming to have excelled, far and above his contemporaries with quality and legacy projects.
Answering questions in an IBC Radio/Television phone-in Programme on Monday January 5, 2015, the Governor lampooned Ohakim for claiming to have completed and commissioned an International Conference Centre tagged Ahiajoku Centre at New Owerri. To Governor Rochas Okorocha who said that he has since converted Ohakims uncompleted building to Imo State Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it must be queried how a normal person could have built the edifice at #2.5Billion if he is not a rogue. He added that what the people call “China roads” were constructed at a paltry #60Million per kilometer, far away from the #250Million per kilometer at which Ohakim and Udenwa constructed their few roads within 12years. “Ikedi Ohakim cannot stand up anywhere in Imo state, to boast of any meaningful achievement, not after fleecing our resources on white elephant projects such as the flyover at Amakohia built at the outrageous cost of Billions of Naira”, he said. On claims that the federal government of Goodluck Jonathan has commissioned a number of Infrastructures in Imo state more than what he has claimed as facilities especially at IMSU, Owelle Rochas Okorocha who boasted that there is no politician in Imo state that is more friendly, close and enjoys closer cordial relationship with President Jonathan and his wife Dame Patience than himself and Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha, thus called on Imolites to cast their votes for General Muhammadu Buhari and the APC if they want good governance and accelerated development insisting afterall, that only the government led by Hausas including Shehu Shagari, Buhari, IBB and Balewa, Yar’adua etc. were the ones that built the University and Polytechnic at Ihiagwa and Nekede, and established a Federal College of Land Resources at Oforolla, converted Federal Medical Centre and Alvan to Federal Institutions. He then queried, “how can the federal government claim to have done something for Imo State simply because an idle minister came here to commissionordianry classroom blocks?” The classroom blocks, according to Governor Okorocha were even built by TeTFUND which is an escrow account contributed by the 3-arms of government for the development of education. He then challenged the likes of Emeka Ihedioha, Viola Onwuliri, Chris Okewulonu and the Senators, Hope Uzodima, Mathew Nwagwu etc. to point at any tangible thing the PDP Federal government under Goodluck Jonathan has done for Imo in the past six years. He reminded them that the 2nd Niger Bridge is being constructed by a consortium of contractors under a contractor financing arrangement which monies will be recovered through a toll gate and asked, “why can’t the so called PDP federal government construct the 2nd Niger bridge by itself if it means well for Ndigbo?” Okorocha likened the neglect of the South East by the PDP government as enough wickedness that should make the affected people reject the party and its presidential candidate Jonathan in 2015. According to him, there is no one that knows Jonathan personally more than himself and that “if he should say no to Jonathan, no other person in Igboland has the moral justification to say yes”. The injustice meted out to the South East by PDP, he said is, “deceit, a complete deceit. They must keep quiet until a qualified Pastor baptizes them of such guilt”. Continuing, Okorocha wanted to know what special thing the Federal government has done in Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Anambra States to warrant the support they have continued to give to PDP over the years. This includes the fact that among the top decision and policy makers in the country ranging from the president, Jonathan, Namadi Sambo as Vice President, David Mark who led the coup of 1983, as Senate President, Chief Justice of the Federation, Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Chief of Defense Staff and Inspector General of Police or Accountant General of the Federation, or Group Managing Directors of NNPC no Igbo man has been found worthy to be so appointed, and that besides Jonathan and David Mark, the rest are Moslem Northerners. It was against this background that he challenged all his predecessors, Ohakim and Udenwa to a public debate over their various claims on records of achievements.
However, Okorocha who asserted that he is the most abused Governor in Nigeria right from the day Senator Chris Anyanwu who previous day was in his house, later, ran into his convoy, along Egbu road Owerri, shouting who is the Governor!, to the day Hon. Eugene Dibiagwu blocked his convoy at Oguta and took a pistol from one of his boys, through the day, he attended Justice Chukwudi Oputa’s burial and they forcefully took the microphone from him and such other accusations of belonging to Ogboni, that his wife runs mad or that his parents were Northerners and that he is a Muslim sponsor of Boko Haram, an illiterate etc. that he has refused to lose focus.
Nevertheless, he further explained that he has forgiven his transgressors including Senator Chris Anyanwu saying, “Senator Christy Anyanwu cannot find another person that can show her love the way I showed her love, she should come back where she belongs”.
Meanwhile, the new Minister of State for Education who President Jonathan has refused to elevate despite being a Professor, Madam Viola Onwuliri has accepted the public debate challenge thrown up by Governor Rochas Okorocha. Reacting instantly to Okorocha’s dismissal of any trace of Federal presence in Imo or any of the South Eastern States, Onwuliri who labeled Okorocha as a liar, claimed that any goof road in Imo state is a Federal road. She cited in particular a co-educational vocational Secondary School which is sited at a hide-out at Mgbe by Owelle Rochas Okorocha as an example of Federal presence in Imo State.
She accused Owelle Rochas Okorocha of grandstanding and playing to the gallery. She also called Owelle Rochas Okorocha a thief for allegedly stealing 52 power generating sets used by Chief Ikedi Ohakim to power street lights before his disgraceful exit. She also accused Rochas Okorocha of stealing the Imo Newspaper Printing Press Machine and appropriated it to his Lamonde family printing business. According to the Mbaise born Viola Onwuliri, Rochas Okorocha is a liar whose religious identity is shrouded in top secrecy as no one knows where he belongs with allegations of membership of Ogboni fraternity for which a newspaper house was attacked, hanging around his neck, saying, “they hardly attend church”. The former Minister of state for Foreign Affairs also explained that it was because she knows that Rochas Okorocha can never tell her the truth that she rejected her appointment and nomination as commissioner before President Jonathan whom she claims she can “call up my oga any time of the day and at nights”, discovered her. As if certain that Owelle Rochas Okorocha is an unrepentant roguish encyclopiene, Viola Onwuliri claims that she is aware Rochas Okorocha stole #27 Billion from Imo state and cannot account for over #100 Billion accruing to the 27 LGAs. Another case of stealing which she said Okorocha must account for is the #13.2Billion Bond proceeds secured and saved by Chief Ikedi Ohakim saying Okorocha after requesting for a change of purpose for the money tied to Oguta Wonderlake and the refinery projects, could not give account of the money.
However, Mrs. Viola Onwuliri became vulgar and demeaned her intellectual status as a Professor when she traded in gutter language calling APC Moslem party even when the APC parades a Senior Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) a Christian National Chairman and a Christian Director General of the Presidential Campaign whereas PDP parades a Moslem running mate, a Moslem National Chairman and a Moslem Director General of Jonathan Campaign Ahmadu Ali whose son was indicted for fuel subsidy fraud. Prince Marshal Okoroaforanyanwu however explained that he is aware Rochas Okorocha invested the disputed #13.2Billion in offering Imo students free education but cautioned Okorocha against concentrating wealth on his family alone.
More importantly, Political pundits are of the view that whereas there is the prospect of an Igbo Senate President should APC win the Presidency and Senator Chris Ngige returns to the Senate, PDP has nothing to offer the Igbo man in that capacity. It is therefore pedestrian to describe APC as Muslim or Boko Haram party. Onwuliri they charged is grossly immature to discuss politics and cannot be calling Rochas Okorocha fake or as not from Imo State when a Kenyan is the President of America and most powerful world leader.
Courtesy: Community Watchdog Newspaper
