From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
There appear to be no end to the battle of wit between Imo Governor, Hope Uzodimma and his predecessor, Rochas Okorocha, as women and men from Orlu zone where both hail from, are at daggers drawn over the recent threat by Orlu Peoples Consultative Assembly (OPOCA) to recall the former governor from the Senate.
The women under the aegis of the Association of Orlu Women Zone for Good Governance, at a press conference, yesterday, demanded an unreserved apology from OPOCA and Governor Uzodimma for the recall which they claimed was targeted at embarrassing Okorocha.
President General of the association, Mrs. Bailia Chibuike, said aside the apology, Governor Uzodinma must desist from fighting Okorocha, face governance and provide the dividends of democracy for Imo people.
The women urged the state government to take back the N1 billion allegedly given to OPOCA to recall Okorocha and invest it in other meaningful projects.
“We ask the government to stop further disturbance of Okorocha and his family since the state can no longer afford all these disturbances,” Chibuike said.
It also solicited the intervention of clerics and traditional rulers in the state to resolve the rift.
“We want to warn those behind OPOCA that enough is enough; enough of their nuisance. We want them to openly apologise to Okorocha or face the wrath of Orlu zone women.
But publicity secretary of OPOCA and Special Assistant to the Governor on Print Media, Modestus Nwamkpa, urged the people to disregard the women.
“Who are the women? Let them show their faces in public. These are just distractions for OPOCA to forget about his (okorocha) recall from the senate. They are not our women; we don’t know them,” Nwamkpa said