Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha says that the statute of the ex- South African President Jacob Zuma who was forced to resign from office by his party for a plethora of corruption allegations would not be pulled down. This is even as he said his deputy, Prince Eze Madumere lacks political value that will warrant his impeachment.
This was just as he stated that the statue was erected in Zuma’s honour as a way to acknowledge the roles he had played in the fight against apartheid.
In a statement yesterday by Okorocha’s media aide, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, said nothing will make the governor change his mind on the statue of the former South African leader notwithstanding the calls for such.
According to him, “The statue was erected when the man was a sitting president. We should also be keen in his life story. For instance, a man who didn’t receive any formal education but rose to play a major role in the freedom of his people and also became president of one of the leading African nations calls for sober reflection.
“He also resigned honourably. And after his coming to Imo where he spoke against the killings of Nigerians in South Africa, the situation came under control to a large extent. Zuma came to Imo to partner Rochas Foundation College for Africa. He didn’t come for politics. And even after his departure as President, he would still go ahead to make his contributions to the education of the less privileged children in Africa”.
He further said that : “And whatever Okorocha has done in Imo, he has done so for the good of the people. Okorocha’s achievements in Imo are unequalled, and have exceeded the achievements of all those before him put together. This has continued to be our usual claim and nobody has challenged us on this claim including ex-governors of the State still alive. Our achievements will speak for us in 2019. Our achievements will be our electoral talisman in 2019.
Imo people have seen our monumental achievements and have also read criticisms against us. But seeing they say, is believing and not reading”
Meanwhile, the governor also dismissed the alleged plot to impeach the deputy governor, Prince Eze Madumere as false. According to him, “We have been inundated with calls on the issue for reaction and for reasons best known to us we decided to remain calm until now. And interestingly enough, those mentioned to be behind the imagined impeachment plan are Hon. Obinna Mbata, Commissioner for Finance and Hon Luggard Osuji, representing Owerri Municipal Constituency in the State House of Assembly.
“A day before the non-existent impeachment plot, Hon Obinna Mbata and Hon Luggard Osuji had led the APC officials and leaders in Owerri Municipal Council to endorse Chief Uche Nwosu for the 2019 governorship in the State. That is the only reason two of them have now become “State House of Assembly of 27 members” to impeach the deputy governor.
“You also ask and innocently too, of what political value will the impeachment of the Deputy Governor now add to anybody or organisation in the State at the moment.
“The truth of the matter is that those who cooked up the impeachment story with the hope that it would help them in their ambition are also the ones marketing it. Hon Osuji is not even one of the Principal Officers of the House as I write and Hon Mbata is not a member of the Assembly. How then would they impeach the deputy governor?
“The point is that anybody who thinks that he can win the governorship election in the state in 2019 without the contribution of Governor Rochas Okorocha should go and do what Rochas did in 2011 by taking the ticket of APGA and winning the election and in 2015 when he joined APC in a zone that was dominated by PDP and also won his election. That is the best action now.
“There are a lot of political parties looking for people to come and take their tickets. Any of the aspirants who thinks or feels he has the political capacity to win election in Imo without Rochas’ contribution should go for the ticket of one of such parties and win election and let us see.
“But for APC Imo, Rochas Okorocha cannot and will not be allowed to leave it for anybody because when he was risking his second tenure and life to build the party most of these people were either not there or were sitting on the fence”.
-Sun
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