Imo state government last Thursday reacted angrily to the unruly behaviour of supporters of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, alleging that the politician wants to destabilize the state. The government also warned Owelle Okorocha to refrain from engaging in further breech of public peace in his own interest.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Nze Elvis Agukwe issued the warning while reacting to the blockage of major roads last Thursday by hoodlums suspected to be sympathetic to Okorocha. He dismissed as tenuous the claims by Okorocha and he paid N8m to hire the stadium for his rally on that fateful day. “Let him bring out the person whom he paid to. Government had already scheduled the use of that place that day, so nobody could have granted him permission, he said”.
Nze Agukwe also dismissed as claims by the APGA candidate that he paid 100,000 to Umuororonjo youths for the use of the Township staduim, Owerri. According to him, “the school rests with the Education Authourity and not any youth. So he went to the wrong channel”.
The commissioner noted that the action of Owelle Rochas just confirmed that he is not interested in the governorship but just to destabilize the state.
Said he,”Rochas has told us that he is more of a president than a governor and that Imo is too small for him.Our advice is that he should leave us alone because Imo is too big for us”.
Nze Agukwe disclosed that Okorocha had been desperately seeking ways of confronting Governor Iked Ohakim, and expressed happiness that the governor has demonstrated maturity on the issue.
“I thank God that we have a mature and humane person like Ohakim as a governor, because Rochas has been seeking cheap publicity if the governor responds to his provocation “he submitted.
The commissioner atrrributed what he described as Okorocha’s frustration to the sudden realization that he won’t be governor of Imo state.
“After all the showmanship, Rochas now knows that he can’t win. That is why he wants to turn Imo to Jos north were he resides”, Nze Agukwe alleged.