Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has responded to the recent threat by his immediate predecessor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, proposing to probe him if he returns to governance of the state in 2019.
According to Okorocha, Ohakim could not dream of probing him when he cannot win in his ward at the election and so he cannot contemplate ruling the state again.
Ohakim was said to have issued the threat while declaring his interest to run for the governorship of the state again in 2019 on the ticket of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
In a press statement, Governor Okorocha issued, on Monday, through his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo , he noted that from 2007 to 2011, he defeated Ohakim even as an incumbent, adding that he (Ohakim) is used to losing election.
According to Governor Okorocha, “We won’t dignify the governor with a response, but to only remind him what he failed or refused to do while making the declaration.
“It was an aberration for the former governor of the state for four years to declare to run for the position again without mentioning at least, one or two achievements of the government he led for the four years”
He further stated “In simple logic, you start from the known to the unknown. Chief Ohakim would have told the less people than 500 people at the venue of his declaration what he achieved for the four years he was in charge as governor and then tell them what he left behind at the Government House that he has been labouring to come and take.
“Chief Ohakim knows that nobody would have known that he made declaration for the 2019 guber if he didn’t mention Rochas Okorocha.
“Hence, the angle of probe. He would have begun with himself to be taken serious. He would have given the assurance that he would find out why he failed woefully in his first outing and what he did with more than N200 billion his government appropriated with nothing to show for it, including the N11 billion on non-existent dredging of Nworie River,” Okorocha stated.
Governor Okorocha further said that his immediate predecessor cannot win election again in the state, including his ward because he did not do well when he had the chance.
Okorocha continued, “Chief Ohakim had eaten his cake and won’t have it again. He cannot even win his Osu-Owerri Ward 2, in any election at the moment. He didn’t do well at all as governor.
“He wasted the four years. And that is the reason he has become an unattractive candidate to all the Parties in the State. He is anxious to fill some gaps but he does not know how to go about it.
“He would have challenged Rochas Okorocha to publish his achievements and let him publish his own if any, on the same day so that Nigerians of goodwill can see for themselves and give their verdicts, for him to be taken serious.
“He had been governor. And the emphasis should be what he was able to do when he was the Chief Occupant of the Douglas House and not the threat of probe.
“He should also explain why he was voted out in 2011 by Imo people and what has changed between that time and now. Or what would change between that period and 2019. The best advice anybody can give him is that he should find other things to do and forget about coming back as the governor of the state,” the statement concluded.
