Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, yesterday, challenged Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State to make a public declaration of his achievements in office, saying that after nearly four years in office, he has been better known as a noise-maker. Flaunting what he said was his integrity, popularity and wealth which he claimed were achieved through hard work, Okorocha, in a statement, affirmed that he has never been once associated with corruption in and out of government even as he claimed that Governor Obiano was motivated by other elements to attack him. In the statement issued on his behalf by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, Okorocha said: “We still maintain our challenge on Governor Obiano to publish his achievements as governor in Anambra and let Okorocha also do the same. “Governor Okorocha has never lived overseas. He has lived all his life in this country. His wealth and popularity are all products of hard work and God’s grace. And it is an enviable record that a man of his status has never been associated with any corrupt practice in this country either by an individual or by a group. “Leveraging on his hard earned popularity, Okorocha defeated an incumbent governor in 2011 on the platform of APGA that had no structure, before he came on board and with the incumbent then, enjoying massive federal might. “And in 2015, he joined the merger from a zone that could be regarded as the ‘headquarters’ of the PDP. He resisted all the storms, including the federal might that was deployed against him and was elected for second term. They could only give him the name, ”Alhaji in Douglas House’. “Obiano is a governor. Okorocha is a governor. Let them begin the contest by publishing their achievements in their respective states for Nigerians to see. It is not a noise-making venture or name-calling enterprise. “Anambra State has remained as Obiano met it. Awka, the state capital has remained as Obiano met it. Government House Awka has remained like that. Let him prove us wrong. That is what we want to achieve.”
Imo APGA blasts Okorocha Meantime, the Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, yesterday, joined in the media war between Governors Okorocha and Obiano. The state publicity committee chairman of the Imo State chapter of APGA, Mr Vincent Amadi, yesterday, in Owerri blasted Okorocha, asking him to accept that he was the one who has taken Imo State backward. The committee gave its reasons, saying that with the level of hardship and anger in the state, Okorocha had no basis to be compared with Obiano. They said: “With the level of hardship, hunger and anger in Imo arising from concentration of contracts within family members,Okorocha should state at what point he would be placed side by side with Obiano.” The committee also said workers were owed and pensioners were not paid in Imo State, adding that Anambra State has an impressive record in terms of managing the welfare of their civil servants. S/East town unions express concern Piqued by the exchange of words between Okorocha and Obiano, the Association of South East Town Unions, ASETU, has lambasted the two governors over what it described as a shameful outing undeserving of their position. The union insisted that the two governors had drawn the attention of the public to some critical issues of governance in their states and urged them to do a sober reflection on how they have exercised the mandate entrusted to them. In an interview with Vanguard in Aba, Chairman of ASETU, Chief Emeka Diwe, said his group was worried that Okorocha and Obiano chose to cast aspersions on each other, and thereby bringing Ndigbo to ridicule. He said: “It is unfortunate that the two governors chose to throw caution to the wind by casting aspersions on each other, bringing Ndigbo to ridicule. As a grassroots organization in Igbo land, we are worried that our governors chose to descend too low. “We are the highest risk bearers. If there is good governance, we are the greatest beneficiaries; if there is bad governance, we are the most affected. “Therefore, we are concerned. It is the grass that suffers when two elephants fight. We are not taking sides, but are analyzing facts from the altercation.” S-East Governors’ Forum Diwe further stated that the exchange between Okorocha and Obiano had exposed the lack of cohesion and cooperation within South-East governors, stressing that the development is unhealthy for the zone. He said: “Now, we are forced to ask, does the South East Governors’ Forum still exist? Who is the chairman? Is there any form of cohesion or cooperation among South East Governors? This is where our governors are not getting it right. Instead of our governors to cooperate to make life more meaningful to their people, they are quarreling over who will defect to this or that party. “Why can’t they learn from their counterparts in the North and South West zones who aside party affiliations have always met to discuss issues of common interest of their blocs? We talk of Igbo presidency, is this how we are going to rule Nigeria?”
Vanguard