Imo state Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma has said that he will not fail to arrest the Labour Party governorship candidate, Senator Athan Achonu, before the November 11 Imo governorship election, and prosecute him.
The Governor, while addressing a section of Imo people on Wednesday during his endorsement by the Imo State Social Contract Group (ISSCG) held at the Landmark Event Centre, Owerri, accused the LP governorship candidate of fraudulently obtaining a court order certifying him to have built primary healthcare centers in the 27 LGAs of Imo state and made away with millions of dollars allocated to the healthcare project by the Federal Government.
The Governor said, Imo state Federal allocation is currently being deducted at source in payment of the embezzled primary healthcare funds. A situation he described as anti-developmental to the state.
He said the former senator had in no time built community healthcare centres in the 27LGAs of the state, insisting that such claim by the LP candidate, was both misleading and a criminal act punishable by law.
Senator Athan Achonu represented the Imo North senatorial district for a period of seven months when he was removed by an Appeal Court through a rerun.
“One of the governorship contestants who embezzled the primary healthcare funds of the 27 LGA health centers in the state went to Court and obtained a fraudulent judgment. Now Imo state allocation from the Federal Government is being deducted at source for the payment of the huge debt.
“This is a criminal act and I must follow it up to the end. I will arrest and prosecute him before the November 11 governorship election.
“Imo is using the money which could be channeled to other developmental projects to offset huge debts incurred by one man in the name of primary healthcare project. Does this person want the best for Imo state?”
But contacting the Director of Media ad Publicity of Athan Achonu Campaign Organization, Chibuikem Diala, he said the Governor may be hallucinating when he made such statement because, according to him, the Labour Party candidate has completed over 70% of the primary healthcare project in the state.
He said the project is ALGON-funded project initiated by Senator Athan Achonu in 2006 and was approved by the Federal Government in 2007.
The project, he disclosed, are visible and functional in so many communities in Imo state including Owerri municipal, Isu-Ekwe, and even Omuma, the Governor’s country home.
“The allegation that Mathan Nigeria Limited, owned by Senator Achonu, collected billions of Naira from the Federal Government for the construction of Primary Health Care Centre in each of the 774 Local Government Areas in the country and later abandoned the project, is completely false and a mere blackmail.
“The project, as we speak, is very visible and functional in several communities of the state, including Omuma which is the Governor’s country home.
“This is nothing but a political witch hunting against our principal whose popularity is Overwhelming the APC family. If not, why is it that it is only now when Imo Governorship election is around the corner and Senator Achonu is garnering massive follower-ship, that this unverified issue suddenly appeared to be a public discourse.
“Senator Athan Achonu is one of the most transparent, generous, and astutely accountable men of unquestionable integrity in Nigeria today. His word is his bond and he is not afraid to tell truth to power, especially those operating with ‘abracadabra’ mandates.
“It was little wonder therefore, and this speaks tremendous volumes of his forthright and trustworthy character, that the Federal Government of Nigeria deemed him esteemable, upright and completely honourable to repose unquestionable confidence in his capacity and transparency to award the massive contract to build healthcare centres, across the 774 Local Government Areas in the country.
“The Project to construct Health Centres in the 774 Local Government Areas across the country, was conceived and initiated by Chief Athan Nneji Achonu who then introduced (proposed ) it to ALGON during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“The project was approved and all the contract papers were duly verified, all the documentations were prepared and packaged by the relevant authorities including ALGON, all legal and financial arrangements followed due process and after all was said and done the Agreement formally signed on the 16th of February, 2007.
“The project for the construction and delivery of the 774 Primary Health Centres commenced comprehensively and in earnest in 2007.
“However, the contract was technically terminated by the National Economic Council in December 2007, when a new President the late Umaru Musa Yar’adua and a set of new Governors were elected and came on board to pilot the affairs of the various states, including supervising engagements and activities in the LGAs administration.
“It was deduced that some newly elected state governors in an effort to stamp their authority, wondered how such a massive contract could be awarded to a single individual and they were not part of it. So they moved for its suspension.
“Senator Athan Achonu, being the meticulous, astute and very accountable businessman, that he is, proceeded to seek clarification for the government action by due process in the Courts to defend himself and the contract against the unfounded allegations that led to the suspension of the project and it is on record that he has emerged victorious at every stage of the litigation, which lasted for 3 (three) years, in the various courts, against the Federal government.
“The project, which was supposed to last for a period of one (1) year, was thus stopped by the government of President Alhaji Musa Yar ‘adua and did not recommence until 2010, when Vice President Goodluck Jonathan constitutionally became President by the ‘Doctrine of Necessity’. However, the project was suspended again after President Goodluck Jonathan became a duly elected president.
“The initial three years delay in the project was as a result of the fact that the then government halted the project and placed a standing order that funds should not be released thus suffocating contractors with huge debts and truncating the smooth process of the work. The same scenario was continued throughout the government of President Goodluck Ebele Johnathan till the advent of President Mohammadu Buhari.
“The project is still on-going, as at today due to the various victories of Mathan Nigeria Limited against the Federal Government in the law courts. Also, despite the insecurity in parts of the North East, North Central and indeed across the country, the project was never abandoned.
“It is necessary to also state here that 195 PHCs had been completed pre -2020 and 363 PHCs completed Post 2020. This makes it a total of 558 PHCs accounting for over 70% of the total centres, which further corroborates the point that the project is still on-going.
“Imolites will be pleased and impressed to know that unlike those Imo leaders who are awarded projects and end up pleasing their paymasters and taking development away from Imo State, Senator Athan Achonu in the spirit and letter of the Akuruoulo advocacy ensured that all the Primary Health Centres in all the 27 LGAs in Imo State have been completed. The records are there for verification.
“We have gone to this great length to debunk the bellicose verbiage concocted against Senator Athan Achonu, our brave, bold and beloved one arm general, and prove to the world that contrary to the wicked lie from the pit of hell, spewed by the agents of the opposition that “the job was never done and Senator Achonu pocketed the controversial N37 billion meant for comprehensive health centres nationwide”, are all mere political fabrications to distract the “Take Back Imo” movement, which is growing in leaps and bounds with each passing day.
“Indeed, why is it that it is only now, after 16 years since commencement of the project that they have remembered EFCC? Indeed the presence of Athan Achonu in the Imo State Governorship race is the beginning of confusion and desperation for those who still want to continue holding Imolites in bondage.”
