Imo State government yesterday picked holes with the claim of former governor of the state, Rochas Okorocha, that he bought his sprawling mansion in Owerri 20 years ago, describing him as the most lawless and corrupt politician in the state
It also said Okorocha has vindicated Governor Hope Uzodimma when he admitted he fell out with the governor for failing to disband the panels that probed his eight year rule.
Reacting to an interview granted by Okorocha to a national newspaper over the weekend, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, said nobody will believe the “tissues of lies spewed” by the former governor.
According to him, all the property being claimed by Okorocha were built with Imo State funds.
He wondered why nobody noticed such a mansion until Okorocha became governor.
He said if the senator truly acquired those property through legitimate means, he would have boldly gone to those panels to clear his name.
He said Okorocha lied through his teeth when he claimed the governor promised him he would not work with the report of the panels.
“How can someone who swore to protect the constitution from abuse shield a common criminal? He never did that,” Emelumba said.
The commissioner described Okorocha as the most lawless person who saw himself as an emperor and brooked no opposition.
“He has the unenviable record of not being able to work with two deputy governors, including the one he described as his son. What does that say about his character,” Emelumba asked
He said contrary to the lies by Okorocha, the governor followed due process in the release and implementation of the white paper as well as his invitation to the military to contain the lawlessness of IPOB members in Orlu.
Emelumba said Uzodimma will never be distracted by the likes of Okorocha in his resolve to right the wrongs of the past.
Meanwhile, Okorocha, has expressed concerns over plans by his successor, Hope Uzodimma, to defy court order to demolish his family property in Owerri.
He lamented that despite subsisting judgment of the High Court of Imo State, stopping further trespass on the said property by agents of the state, there are strong indications that the Imo government has advanced plans to demolish the property.
Adviser on Public Affairs to the former governor, Zainab Mohammed, who raised the alarm on his behalf, told newsmen in Abuja that the family has incontrovertible evidence to believe some overzealous agents of the state may have marked some of the family property for demolition in the coming days and weeks.