Imo State Government House Owerri
Press Release
Since Chief Ikedi Ohakim, the immediate past Governor of the state joined the governorship race, he has apparently made repeated media attacks on Governor Rochas Okorocha the crux of his 2015 ambition. He talks without exhibiting any iota of respect for the office he was once the occupant for four years.
We make reference to two of his most recent media attacks on Governor Okorocha. On Friday, September 12, 2014, he had two pages interview with the Daily Sun. And from the beginning of the interview to the last paragraphs, Governor Okorocha was the subject matter. In the same interview, he finally claimed that he was the only one who could defeat Governor Okorocha in 2015.
On Monday, September 15, 2014, the former governor continued his media attacks on his successor, and ended up challenging the governor to a debate.
As a responsible government with high premium for decency, we had skipped reacting to Chief Ohakim’s attacks with the feeling that, as a former governor, he would have taken cognizance of that whenever he wants to talk about his successor.
He said he is the only one who can defeat Okorocha in 2015. We don’t bother ourselves about such claim. If his party the PDP believes he is the only one who can defeat Okorocha in 2015, let them give him ticket, and we live to see how it goes.
The former governor has talked much about his projects which the current administration has abandoned. We also want to exercise caution in talking about a former governor of the state and what he did and what he didn’t do. Otherwise we would have demanded that the projects be listed with their locations so that those willing can go and see them.
The truth of the matter is that Chief Ohakim served Imo people for four years as governor to the best of his ability and Rochas Okorocha is also doing so, to the best of his ability. And it is not for Ohakim and Okorocha to begin to score themselves. Only Imo people and Nigerians of goodwill can do that to make it creditable.
And for his call for a debate with Governor Okorocha, we make hay to say no. Former governor now an aspirant and a sitting governor meeting for a debate because one of them made the call does not show seriousness. The one they had in 2011, had all the aspirants and he (Ohakim) the incumbent then was present and it was organized by independent bodies. And Imo people and indeed Nigerians knew how it went. And in few months’ time such scenario will play up again and Nigerians will live to see how it goes.
It is also important to let the governorship aspirants in the state to know that no responsible political party would give ticket to someone because he is the most vocal in attacking the sitting governor. And one does not also think that Imo people will elect their governor on the basis of that.
Finally, we challenge the former governor to tell Nigerians, if he would have tolerated all these insults and abuses when he was governor, which Rochas Okorocha tolerates today. And Rochas tolerates such insults and abuses because he said his administration has brought in Imo state a new lease of freedom. Rochas believes so much in the freedom of the citizenry that today, there is Freedom Square in the state capital.
Sam Onwuemeodo
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media
