Okorocha alleges Oshiomhole, Magu planning to eliminate him

Immediate past governor of Imo State and serving senator, Rochas Okorocha, has told a court that he has information on plot by the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, to either eliminate or sink him politically.

The governor said Oshiomhole is collaborating with the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, to carry out the alleged plot against him.

He said he got the hint of the plot through a top detective at the EFCC, who informed him that Oshiomhole and Magu had secret meetings on how to have him end up in jail.

Okorocha made this claim before the Federal High Court, Abuja over the court case between him and the EFCC.

In a bid to authenticate his claims, Okorocha provided a text message sent to him by the EFCC operative informing him of the supposed plot.

The test read, “Your Excellency, I will like to give you this information. You must be careful. There is a plan to either eliminate you or sink you politically. They said you want to contest for the deputy senate presidency, a position that will give you an edge to contest as President in 2023, so everything must be done to get you out of the way.

“The arrowhead of this plot is Adams Oshiomhole. He has vowed that he will block you from realising your ambition and the first step towards achieving this was to make sure your preferred successor did not emerge. He has been having secret meetings with our Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, over your matter.

“One of my colleagues, Abdullahi, has been given the task to liaise with INEC and meet with one Aminu in the legal department of INEC and two powerful women in the department as well as some national commissioners over your matter.”

Okorocha went further to claim in his originating motion with suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/475/19, that he had been facing serious attack from Oshiomhole not for any other thing but because he opposed the former Edo State governor’s bid to become the chairman of the APC.

In a supporting affidavit, Okorocha also accused Oshiomhole of blaming him for being detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) during the build-up to the 2019 general elections.

Further noting that his wife, children and in-laws were already being targeted for arrest, the Imo West senator added, “The plan has now reached a crescendo and desperation in view of the failure of the respondents to find anything incriminating against me and the decision now taken by the instigator of the respondents is to arrest and detain me in Abuja.”

Meanwhile, the anti-graft agency has denied the allegations. In a counter-affidavit, deposed to by one Samson Oloje, a litigation officer with the commission, the anti-graft agency described Okorocha’s claim that he was informed of a secret meetings between Oshiomhole and Magu by an operative of the commission as baseless.

“No operative of the 4th respondent (EFCC) called Musa Muhammed or by any other name sent a phone text message to the applicant in April 2019 or anytime material herein about any secret meeting involving the acting chairman of the 4th respondent and Adams Oshiomhole about plans being made by the 4th respondent in relation to the applicant (Okorocha).

“That no operative of the 4th respondent called Abdullahi or by any other name has been given the task to liaise with INEC, Aminu of INEC and/or any other person to decimate the applicant politically and/or annihilate him,” the EFCC counter-affidavit read.

The DSS, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), like the EFCC, also denied claims by Okorocha they were being used by the APC to victimise him.

The judge in charge of the matter, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, afterward granted a motion ex parte barring all the respondents from investigating or arresting Okorocha.