Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state on Wednesday advised the immediate past governor of the state, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, to refrain from creating the impression that he (Ohakim) was quarrelling with him through public outburst.
Okorocha was reacting to an interview granted by Ohakim to a national paper captioned, “Ohakim bombs Okorocha… you have destroyed Imo State,” saying that, Ohakim should avoid utterances and actions that would attract uncomplimentary remarks from the state government’s side.
The governor who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sam Onuemeodo, in a statement said that Ohakim had only accused the governor of trying to install his kinsmen (Orlu man) in 2019 as the governor of the state.
“We want to appeal to the former governor to please stop giving the impression that he is quarreling with the Governor or the government in the state through his utterances. He was governor in the state and should be treated with respect and regard. And he should avoid utterances and actions that would attract some uncomplimentary remarks from the government’s side. This is an appeal. And indeed, a passionate one.
“We have taken time also to go through the whole story to see whether the former Governor had told his audience how Governor Okorocha destroyed Imo State, but we didn’t find any claim or allusion close to that. He only talked about the governor planning to install another Orlu man as the Governor in 2019 and the Governor sacking the Secretary to the Government of Imo State (SSG), and all that he claimed he had left behind in the Government House, Owerri.
“Let us on the face value and for the sake of this refusal agree that the Governor would like an Orlu zone man to succeed him in 2019. Then, the follow-up question would be, how that could be interpreted to mean destroying the state, and how the governor dropping the SSG would also mean the destruction of the state.
“However, we want to state without mincing words that if there had been one man who had paid the state and her people in counterfeit, that man is Chief Ikedi Ohakim, when he was the governor of the State from 2007 to 2011. If he had done well as governor, Imo people would have given him the mandate for a second term.
“He was also very careful in his claims. He carefully avoided accusing Governor Okorocha of non-performance because that would have made us to challenge him to tell Nigerians the one thing he achieved as governor in four years, while we tell Nigerians one thousand things Governor Okorocha has achieved and all are verifiable.
“In other words, for four years what he achieved were only master-plans that were never worked on. But to us, and to most Imo people what the former governor left behind were gala-night and sharing resources of the state to PDP big men. And it was unfortunate.
“In the case of Governor Okorocha, the style is that once the master-plan is done work begins immediately and also done. We won’t keep master-plans waiting for when we leave and come back. Our projects are everywhere to be seen. And that was why the former governor could not accuse the governor of non-performance.
“The government which Governor Okorocha heads does not take delight in insulting or attacking leaders in the state. We respect them and treat them as such. But the more we try to avoid clashing with them, the more men like the former Governor scratch the governor and the government.” – Daily Times.
