Tough Time For Okorocha’s Critics, Journalists In Imo
By Austin Echefu
These days are tough for critics of Governor Rochas Okorocha in Imo State as he has begun a fresh move to silence them, including newspapers publishers and journalists.
The publishers of Trumpeta newspaper in Owerri on Thursday raised the alarm that the Governor petitioned the State Security Service against them.
According to Hon Henry Ekpe, one of the Publishers of the newspaper, they were invited by the DSS over Governor Okorocha “who wrote through his lawyer that the Newspaper is inciting Imo people against his government with their publications.
“He cited today’s (Thursday’s) edition which said that Okorocha was stoned by the New Market traders”.
Speaking with 247ureports on Friday, Hon Ekpe who was the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Ikedi Ohakim said that Governor Okorocha wants to hang on to something in the buildup to the general elections in 2019.
He said that the Governor said “we published that traders at the New Market attacked him, but that is the truth. He wrote to us through his lawyer yesterday (Thursday) and asked us to retract the story in 24 hours.
“While we were on the matter, he sent SSS to arrest us same day in our office. But we told them to tell us what our offence was. Then they said we should come to their office today (Friday)”.
This medium had published on Thursday that the SSS invited Hon Uche Onyeagucha to answer to petition written by the Governor against him.
Hon Onyeagucha who was Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters said on Thursday that “They (DSS) invited me to come and explain why I used the words ‘Imo people should rise up and resist Rochas’.
“According to them, that was like inciting Imo people to violence. And I admitted that I used it and I honesty believe that Imo people should rise and resist Rochas.
“I rather told them that the person who is against Imo people is Rochas and not me. Because he is the person destroying people’s property against the law.
“According to Nigerian law, you cannot evict anybody without an order of court. Even if he is a squatter or an illegal occupant, the only way you can evict him is by court order. And he (Gov Okorocha) has not got any court order, and therefore he has not got any right to evict anyone from Ekeukwu Owerri, Mechanics Village Orji and Mechanics Village Nekede.
“Therefore, since he has decided to abuse the Rule of Law the people should rise up against him to stop that”.