By OUR REPORTER
The battle against former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha by members of an All Progressives Congress (APC) camp headed by Governor Hope Uzodinma a former Peoples Democratic Party senator, peaked Saturday when hoodlums believed to be working for the sitting governor attempted to attempted a mob attack on him.
Okorocha’s car smatched with bottle by some of the governor’s thugs inside the estate.
But Okorocha, currently Senator of the Federal Republic representing Imo West, had luck on his side when a detachment of police officers from the Imo State Police Command moved in and rescued him from the dangerous gunmen apparently determined to cause him harm, although other comments said the governor actually used the police to show him power.
Okorocha, who has been a super rich long before government and has been using his money to benefit humanity, is the only Igbo man with on record having transformed countless number of indigents from hopeless to hope through his self-initiated education policy that has made him a single father with over “10,000 graduate children” and still counting.
When he came to government he used the resources of the people to create a Modern Imo State and his administration’s model has become a template that any present future governor of the state has got to either be guided to meet or surpass, The DEFENDER reports.
The former governor, accompanied by some of his political associates, was said to have gone to the Royal Palm Estate owned by his wife, to dissuade his supporters, who had volunteered to protect the premises from forceful takeover by the government, from taking the laws into their hands.
The police detachment swiftly responded to distress calls from members of the public who alerted the authorities when they suspected that something untoward may be in the cooks for the former governor as suspected assassins invaded the premises of the contentious estate.
Surprisingly to some Igbo and watchers of Igbo politics as regards Imo State, where a governor before Okorocha was believed to have pushed governance to oblivion with no single phase of development except “slapping of clerics in show of energy”, purported news of Okorocha’s arrest spread in a section of the media gladdened the hearts of some people in and out side of the pace.
A particular person in his comment said it was great thing to do for police to arrest Okorocha because, to him, “there is no way he could have built an estate with government money only to claim it as his own estate”.
But some Igbo sympathetic to the former governor hit back on authors of such comments saying only people who are either ignorant of situation on ground or are envious of Okorocha’s achievements would spread such “malicious allegations” against him.
Against news of arrest, what the police did was to rescue the sitting senator from hoodlums working for the Governor Uzodinma, whose conscience of bad things done again Okorocha’s APC government now haunt him finding himself in same position as APC governor, when they invaded the premises of the estate upon arrival of the former governor.
How the police came in
A close aide to the former governor, in dismissing the viral allegation that the former governor took laws into his hands by breaking the seal order placed on the estate by government officials detailed by the state governor, explained that the Senator Okorocha was rather there to prevent breakdown of law and order and could not have taken laws into his hands.
According to him; “Senator Okorocha is a former governor of Imo State and a serving Senator. He is a law-abiding citizen who wouldn’t have contemplated taking laws into his hands. He was there to tell his supporters not to take laws into their hands.”
While we have not been able to reach the Commissioner of Police in Imo State for details and updates on the situation, we gathered from further findings that Okorocha did nothing wrong as Governor Uzodinma only trying to use power as show of supremacy.
According to the source, the acclaimed seal order placed on the estate was not by court and so, where do they get their claim of breaking of order from? He asked.
People speak
In the meantime, the development in Imo regarding the show of force by Governor Uzodinma against Okorocha and captured in verified videos now well in public domain, has generated heated discussions among some Nigerians and observers of happenings in the state.
This report presents discussions at a forum and names of interlocutors are well protected in the following presentation:
One of them said: “I just got this video. Watch it and see why I’m ashamed of my state this night. Ignore the commentary and just watch the sights.
“Government officials operating with matchete wielding thugs in broad daylight. See the beginning and see how it all unfolded. Purely premeditated.
“Even if Okorocha trespassed on his sealed property, is this the way to go about it. Shame.”
Another sad interlocutor said: “This is madness.”
A source said: “I laugh at those who think Imo is an APC state. Imo only has a Governor who ran on the platform of the APC. That’s all. Who by the way was in the PDP up 6 months to the election.
“Other than that everything else is almost 90% PDP. From Commissioners to appointed LG Caretaker Chairman to appointed Caretaker Councillors in the 27 LGAs.
“One of the most ferocious antagonist of PMB on my Senatorial zone WhatsApp is a serving Commissioner under the Governor. A known PMB and APC hater who formed new-PDP in Imo state and was campaign coordinator for Sam Daddy Anyanwu who ran for PDP Primaries against Emeka Ihedioha in 2019.
“Where are the original APC members? Those who joined the Governor to fight Rochas during the elections? He side tracked them and brought in his entire structure from the PDP. This ongoing Party registration is just us handing the Party to the Governor and his men fully and I wish us luck. We have lost the Party we suffered and risked our life for in the state. Period.
“That SA that was pushing Rochas in that video was a member of the PDP and if you know that PDP blood doesn’t leave anyone, you might begin to understand his disdain and that his conduct towards Rochas.
“Rochas is still paying the price for bringing APC to Imo and the SE whether we believe it or not. Make no mistake. He didn’t help himself in his second tenure no doubt but that does not justify the treatment he is getting from APC.”
Rejecting contribution earlier, this same source said: “… my brother Imo is my state. Please do not put mouth until you get the facts. You may wish to know that Imo is the HQ of propaganda and psycofancy in Nigeria.
“How was the property even sealed in the first place? By court order? No.
“I’m ashamed of my state. We are always crude with power. Without exception.
“What on earth would make an ‘ordinary’ SA to a Governor be tapping a former state Governor and a serving Senator on the back like that? Almost pushing him along. When obviously he was not resisting or violent.
“You can see pure hate and vendetta in their eyes. It doesn’t matter my views about Rochas, what is wrong is wrong. The case of Imo state is disgusting.” He said.
The contributor replied: “Doc that was why I said Okorocha wouldn’t have gone there in the first place. He should have known better. He should have proven that he is more exposed.”
Comment of one of the contributors on the video slightly punctured the claim that police only rescued Senator Okorocha from being attacked by the hoodlums when he said:
“I totally agree with you doc. The police is never under the state government and governors when security of lives is concerned, let’s blame Buhari, but they are suddenly in charge of the same police when it is time for their personal fights and stupid vendetta.” This presents another angle that the governor, Hope Uzodinma, actually used police men seen to be part of the shootings by those thugs in the video although a particular voice in the it said the state Commissioner of Police denied having a hand in the show of shame done against the former governor.
Responding, one of the earlier sources said: “My brother, Those of you from the SW and North are in heaven. You want to see brute and naked show of force by Governors, come to the SE and SS. Like I said none of them is better in that respect. Not even the Rochas.
“Our governors in the SS and SE are just too primitive.”
In his own wisdom, another discussant said: “Hope Uzodinma was recruited to take over Imo state from Rochas in order to forestall any Presidential challenge from Rochas in 2022 / 2023. So far, the plan is working well. I am not implying that Rochas is a Saint. Just that the plan to run him out of APC is now on steroids.”
Another: “No…, the Governor can not rely on a white paper without a valid order of a court. What Uzodinma did is alien to common sense. They should continue to demarket Tinubu.”
Another strong comment: “If Uzodimma “sealed” the property without legal backing, let them charge Okorocha to court! If we really have a reliable legal system, it will be established in the process that there wasn’t any legality to the so-called “sealing” by Uzodimma/Imo State Government! That one is a governor or president or minister is not enough to exercise powers they don’t have OR even abridge legal processes! Could Okorocha sue Uzodimma/Imo State Government for damages, “Yes”!”
One of the comments: “Governors always claim they don’t control the Police, but in one swift move Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State used the police to tame Okorocha. How did he do it?
“How is it that Governors can’t use the police to stem the rising tide of insecurity across the country despite the humongous security vote they allocate to themselves? Security vote that is, by the way, unconstitutional.
“Honestly, I think governors owe us explanation how they use those security funds. Unfortunately, most state Houses of Assembly are mere appendages to Government Houses across the country.”
A coment from Abuja to the forum: “Okorocha does not deserve this. We should take cognisance of his past contributions that made Apc great when it mattered. He deserves respect. Was the sealing of the property legal in the first place? Legally the leg of the charge is faulty
There is a procedural defect. I think the legal tussle will resolve the grey areas in this case.”
What could have been a masterstroke was faulted on arrival when one said:
“I think we should leave Uzodinma and Okorocha alone to fight their roforofo. Some good may come out it all for Imo people. How good was Okorocha as a governor? Can he, or his wife, legitimately account for how he got the money they used to acquire all those massive assets, estates, hotels and other property. Truth be told Okorocha is a bad advertisement for APC. He is one of those giving PMB government a bad name.”
He was responded to: “Was okorocha a poor man before he became governor? Or have you forgotten who he is? Owelle Rochas Okorocha has been a wealthy man that we all know. We all know what his Rochas Foundation has been doing all over Africa for years now. A man that can build such a magnificent school to take care of such number of unprivileged children can’t be a poor man. I am not saying wether he stole or not but there are legal ways to do things like that. If they have anything against him the EFCC and ICPC are still very much functional.”
The last comment picked from the discussion corroborated the person that talked about Okorocha being rich before government:
“This is besides the point in question Sir. And how do you judge that without following the due process of the law or even common sense of civility? At least Okorocha has properties situate in Imo. How many do his predecessors and the current Governor have in Imo? Answer if you know.
“That does not in any way excuse criminality or looting in government but where are the ongoing court cases or judgements against him on the strength of which any civilized person can conclude that he is a thief? Is it in the market of Ekeonunwa in Owerri that he will account for the money?
“I’m not commenting on this only as an APC membet but also as a civilized citizen of Imo state who craves decency.
“If Okorocha who was the bedrock of APC in the SE is a “bad advertisement for APC”, is his current successor a better advertisement or Yahaya Bello of Kogi a better advertisement for APC?”
