Civil Society urge EFCC to expedite action on investigation of the pillaging of Imo State under Okorocha

Text Of A Press Conference By Coalition For The Advancement Of Good Governance On Friday, August 23, 2019 At The Nuj Fct Council Secretariat.

Gentlemen of the Press,

On behalf of the CAGG, I welcome you to this media interaction. It has become expedient that the public space is not allowed to be overrun by jesters masquerading as leaders and opinion moulders especially as it relates to electoral issues, governance and general good conduct.

Without a doubt, you are all aware of the fact that a certain governor of Imo state in the last elections held officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, hostage for several hours and forcefully compelled the electoral officer to announce him as winner of Imo West Senatorial District. For this reason, while other worthy winners got their Certificates of Return as at when due, Rochas Okorocha, got his at a later date after some unexplained legal exercises and was ingloriously sworn in as senator ALONE!

For a man that smuggled himself through the backdoor as senator to continue to impugn on the ability of the INEC to conduct free, fair and credible elections shows how low some people can go. What ‘Senator’ Okorocha has simply told Nigerians, we already know anyway, that he never won any elections.

It is still a surprise that ‘Senator’ Rochas Okorocha is yet to come to terms with the fact that the good people of Imo state rejected his attempt to install his son-in-law and create an Okorocha Dynasty in an egalitarian state such as Imo. Since the former governor is full persuaded that His Excellency Governor Emeka Ihedioha did not win the election that brought him into office, he should simply have represented his son-in-law at the tribunals rather than engaging in this theatre of the absurd.

Nobody should entirely be surprised at the antics of diminishing clan of the Okorochas’ who was even rejected by his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC. In case anyone might have forgotten, ‘Senator Okorocha’ is still serving an indefinite suspension placed on him by the APC National Working Committee.

Also, for a man that is under criminal investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for the mindless plunder of Imo State, he should be rather beg Imolites for their forgiveness and make restitutions for his crimes against today and posterity of Imo state.

As a coalition, we call on the Government of Imo State led by His Excellency Emeka Ihedioha not to relent in repositioning the state, restore confidence of Imolites that have been lost, recover all stolen properties of the state from officials and family members of the past regime as well as stay focused on his service to the state.

We urge the INEC to show example of all those who worked hard to discredit the last election such as ‘Senator’ Okorocha and prefer criminal electoral charges against them. The failure of the electoral body to do this greatly undermines its ability to deliver, free, fair and credible elections and gives electoral brigands the impetus to carry out their impunity against electoral officers such as suffered by the Returning Officer for the Imo West Senatorial Election, Professor Innocent Ibeawuchi.

The coalition also urges the APC to call its member, suspended or otherwise, to refrain from trying to undermine the legitimate elected Government of Imo State as led by His Excellency Emeka Ihedioha. Similarly, the EFCC ought to expedite action on its investigation of the pillaging of Imo State under Rochas Okorocha and go beyond sealing properties to arraigning all those involved in the heist of the patrimony of Imo state.

Gentlemen of the Press, you have a duty to hold government and its officials accountable to the Nigerian people, so we challenge you to ask ‘Senator’ Okorocha the hard questions as to his time in office and whether he was on the ballot as a governorship candidate in the last election.

Thank you.

For: Coalition for the Advancement of Good Governance

Simon Inalegwu – Peoples Alliance for Indigenous Rights,

Isa Teidi – Network for Transparency, NET

James Okoronkwo – Society for Equity and Inclusion, SEI

Bar. Stanley Onu – Lawyers for Democratic Rights and Civic Space