George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Imo State governor, Emeka Ihedioha, has told the immediate past governor of the state, Rochas Okorocha, that it is only guilty persons who are afraid of the judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the allocation and forceful acquisition of lands in the state.
Ihedioha stated this on Friday while responding to the allegation of erstwhile Governor Okorocha that the present administration was out to witch-hunt him and members of family.
Ihedioha who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Chibuike Onyeukwu, said that the innocent has nothing to fear.
The statement reads: “The former governor made several petty allegations in the said release, re-echoing his lullaby that he has been a target for witch-hunt by Governor Ihedioha. He also said investors were being dissuaded from investing in the state.
“We had deliberately avoided the ploy of the ex-governor to drag us to the level of exchange of words in an attempt to seek cheap relevance in the media.
“This is because the good people of the Imo State have already evaluated the performance of the former governor and their verdict is outright condemnation of his irresponsive and irresponsible misgovernance, characterized by the unprecedented plundering of the state treasury.”
Mr. Onyeukwu pointed out that “the timely constitution of the Judicial Inquiry on Lands and other related matters by Governor Ihedioha is driven by the ceaseless complaints, petitions and lamentations by citizens of the state of impunity, irregularities and deliberate distortions of the original master plan of the state.
We wonder how former Governor Okorocha arrived at the unfounded allegations that the panel is on a witch hunt when the inquiry dates back to the Chief Achike Udenwa’s administration.
One may not be wrong to believe that there could be more to such panic reaction from the former governor even when the panel is yet to fully commence its assignment.
“We are not unaware that the incessant vituperation and abuses by the former governor targeted at distracting the people’s governor with a view to derailing the rebuilding process.
“There is no gain-saying the fact that Governor Ihedioha is not on a vendetta mission but on a rebuilding mission of the state and no amount of childish tantrums will reverse the trend.”