From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has recounted his experience in the clash between his security aides and that of Governor Hope Uzodinma over his forceful unsealing of the Royal Palm Eatate sealed by the state government.
Describing the action of governor Hope Uzodinma’s aides during the clash as thuggery, he urged people in the state to condemn it.
‘What happened yesterday was a display of thuggery. I never expected that of a governor, he did what he did to humiliate me, he may not end well as a governor,’ Okorocha said.
Okorocha, who stated this while addressing supporters from the All Progressives Congress (APC) who besieged his Spibat massion on a solidarity protest, added: ‘Go to Orlu, people are being intimidated by the governor and his thugs and i don’t know what he wants to achieve .
‘I think he wants to make people fear him he has been busy chasing shadow of violence since he came in, he has demolished Somto hospital , tunnel, roundabouts that have brought beauty to the Sates and not replacing them, I think he is just doing that to spite me.’
Okorocha acknowledged the intervention of the presidency in the matter which he said saved the situation and averted what would have resulted to chaos. ‘I want to thank the presidency for intervening in the matter, those that intervened saved us from a mess , I do not want to soil my hands in blood, may be other things would have happened.
‘But being a man of peace does not mean he should take my peaceful nature for granted. I thank the presidency very much. Uzodinma wants to rule by intimidation rather than making peace, he wants to do that by intimidation. It is not acceptable. A governor who has not paid his workers and pension, inciting violence on a daily basis, now he is taken it personal with my family.’
Okorocha has also alleged that the police men who arrested him compromised . ‘I’m not sure that those security men who I saw that day are real police even the army, one of them stabbed my aide, so I’m calling on the police to investigate these officers including the Special Assistant to Uzodinma, Chinasa Nwaneri and Eric Uwakwe who was shooting and beating my aides.’
Meanwhile, Okorocha revealing how he left the police detention said: ‘At about 11 pm or thereabout , they asked me to go, I didn’t want to go because I told them I wanted to stay for 3 months, I would have remain there but they prevailed on me.’