N2.9 alleged fraud: Leave Uzodinma out of your case with EFCC – Imo govt warns Okorocha

www.tracknews.ng reported that the anti-graft agency had filed N2.9 billion fraud charges against Okorocha, a former governor of Imo State.

The development came hours after the ex-governor officially declared his presidential bid for 2023.

Senator Okorocha had on Monday, alleged that the media handlers of Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State were behind the story of the EFCC taking him to court over an alleged N2.9 billion fraud.

But reacting, the Special Adviser to the Imo Governor, Modestus Nwamkpa, in a statement forwarded to DAILY POST on Wednesday, warned Okorocha to leave Governor Uzodinma out of his ordeal with EFCC and go to court to clear his name of the corruption charges.

He maintained that no media team of Governor Uzodinma ever wrote anything concerning Okorocha’s saga with the EFCC, either before or after his declaration of intention to run for presidency.

According to him, “I have challenged the purveyors of these usual lies to screenshot such messages coming from any of Uzodinma’s media team in any of the social media platforms as alleged by Okorocha’s media aide, Sam Onwuemedo. And failure to do that, they should just cover their faces in shame.

“The guilty are always afraid. I hope they will not say that EFCC abducted him on the orders of Governor Uzodinma or blame a certain Shabba of working with the nation’s anti-graft agency?

“I really do not understand why the ex-governor feels that he would not be called for questioning on the whereabouts of the bailout funds, Paris Club Refunds, flood relief funds and other sundry monies that entered Imo State.

“Again, I wonder how he thinks in his wildest imagination that explanation would not be demanded from him on how he brazenly converted known state assets like IBC quarters, K.O Mbadiwe, Eastern Palm Estate etc into private use. Also, how on earth would the former governor believe that he would be allowed to go scot-free after spending billions of naira in constructing China roads and at the end of the day, not even one was motorable? I really wonder, honestly.”

“It is quite unfortunate that these people feel that they could eat their cake and at the same time have it back. The argument that Okorocha is untouchable because, according to them, he secured a court order stopping the EFCC from arresting him on the basis of an alleged fundamental human rights order, is an exhibition of gross ignorance. Some of them, including Onwuemedo, may not know that court order has an expiry date and meanwhile, no court would give a perpetual injunction that will give Okorocha a clean bill of health in the face of monumental alleged corruption discovered under his watch. Any judge that gives such a black market order should be stoned for standing in the way of true justice.

“By the way, which court is he talking about? The same court he disobeyed their judgements and orders when he was governor? Did he not say repeatedly that he does not believe in the rule of law and due process? Has he forgotten how he disobeyed the federal, appeal and supreme courts’ judgements in favour of Eze Cletus Illomuanya and still went ahead to purportedly depose him? Your hands must be clean before you approach equity,” he submitted.