Governor Obiano bombards Rochas Okorocha again

 ** Your govt catastrophic, unmitigated, Anambra gov blasts his Imo counterpart

* Nwobodo calls for ceasefire

From Chidi Nnadi, Enugu and Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka

In the continuing war of words between Anambra and Imo State governors, Chief Willie Obiano has described Owelle Rochas Okorocha’s style of governance as “catastrophic and unmitigated disaster.”

Obiano, governor of Anambra State, who had, on Tuesday, declined to join issues with Okorocha made a U-turn yesterday. The governor said he did so, in order to make the truth known to the public.

Okorocha had, on Tuesday, said three South East governors would defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and described Obiano’s response to his earlier statement as an act of irresponsibility and motor park language unexpected from a governor. He also said Obiano was not his match in terms of achievement and good governance.

But, in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Strategic Communication and Legislative Matters, Prince Oliver Okpala, Obiano said, “Okorocha should key into President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption fight and do so sincerely. His governance of Imo State has been a catastrophic and unmitigated disaster and he should, therefore, be told so.

“He should strive to work hard so that the good people of Imo would also love him just as Anambra people are in love with Governor Obiano because of his sincere and people centred style of governance. This is our candid opinion.”

Describing Okorocha’s claim that Obiano had taken Anambra State several kilometres backward as laughable, he replied: “When serious governors like Obiano are talking, the likes of Okorocha should keep quiet. This is a governor who has failed woefully to pay workers’ salaries. He is also heavily indebted to even pensioners who spent their youth and strength to labour for the state. In their old age, Okorocha’s government has abandoned them at this most critical time that they need the state. What abomination!

“While claiming noble antecedent, Okorocha questioned Obiano’s antecedent before he became governor. What insolence and tomfoolery. The world knows  Obiano’s antecedent as an accomplished banker of repute and a great juggernaut in the finance industry. But, the same cannot be said of Okorocha as Nigerians truly know him for the wrong reasons.

“They know him as a rabble rouser, who claimed to be a politician and flew the tricky kite of contesting for the presidency just to corner some change into his pockets and the records are there for everyone to see.

“Okorocha’s claim that there is a general impression that Obiano is ‘an aggressive governor who should have done better as a militant than as a governor is laughable and it is clear to Nigerians who really is a “motor park” personality between them.

“Indeed, Okorocha “is an example of what a leader should not be.” Who is he to teach the virtues of leadership, ideas and service to governor Obiano? He talks of ideas when he cannot pay workers salaries and now tries to intimidate Imo retirees to forfeit 60 per cent of the arrears of their sweat. Are those the kind of ideas we need at this critical time? Those are destructive ideas that cannot bring about constructive ends.

Okorocha, through his media aide, had said his claim was a healthy one, expected to provoke sound debates.

‘‘Governors with ideas and the right exposure gave their polite reactions, but the one without ideas (Obiano) took to insults. Only men with nothing to offer in terms of ideas take delight in insulting others. Men of ideas do not insult others.”

He, therefore, challenged  Governor Obiano to make public his  achievements as a governor in the last four years as he is not his match in the provision of dividends of democracy .

“Leadership is all about ideas and service. Luckily, Obiano has been governor for almost four years while Okorocha has also been governor for five years now. Let Obiano publish his achievements in Anambra State even with high IGR, and let Governor Okorocha also publish his achievements in Imo. Then, we take off from there.”

Meanwhile, former governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo has called on warring governors  to cease-fire, forthwith.

Nwobodo, who spoke to Daily Sun in Enugu yesterday, said he was not happy as the two governors engaged themselves in a verbal war.

“I have noticed, with displeasure, the war of words, claims and counter-claims between the governors of the South-East, particularly Governors Willie Obiano of Anambra State and Rochas Okorocha of Imo State.

“I wish to appeal to all the parties concerned to cease the ongoing media war in the interest of our geo-political zone. At a time when the South-East governors should be working together for the economic development, security and the safety of lives and property of the people of the South-East; it will be unfortunate for them to allow themselves to be drafted into altercations.”

Nwobodo, also advised serving governors in the region to stop making unsubstantiated pronouncements about their colleagues without their consents, saying that was what sparked off the ongoing verbal war.

“I will try to reach them to share my experience of how the late governor Sam Mbakwe and I worked harmoniously in this zone. And as you know, Mbakwe and I served as governors of these five states in the region at that time,” he said.

He noted that there was no need for the two governors to continue in their fight as the governors who were said to be planning to join the APC have said they had no such intention.

“They themselves (the other governors) spoke on this; so, what they have said is more substantial and truthful than what somebody else said about them,” Nwobodo maintained.

He also regretted that the governors of the South-East are no longer meeting under the aegis of the South-East Governors’ Forum, where they gather to rub minds and compare notes for the development of the zone.

“I feel sad and what that shows is that there is no leadership amongst the governors of the zone; it is lack of leadership because if there was good leadership, there is no way the five of them cannot be meeting for the interest of the people of the zone. When Peter Obi was there, he was the chairman of the Forum in the South-East and they met regularly; so, it is lack of leadership right now that they are no longer meeting and you can see the effect,” he said.

When asked about how he feels on the appointment of former Senate president, Chief Ken Nnamani as the new APC leader in the South-East by Governor Okorocha, he said: “All I have to say about that is that the people know their leaders, leaders are not appointed by an individual, leaders emerge from series of events; it’s therefore a non-issue.”

“Rochas challenged Obiano to publish his achievements in Anambra State. But the whole world knows of his feat in this regard. From making Anambra to attain a crime-free status,   rapid industrialisation by rehabilitation of roads and constructing new ones; demolition of a 30-year old mountain of refuse in Okpoko two years ago; putting public facilities in place such as the 47 solar-powered boreholes that now serve 27 communities. He increased Anambra State IGR from the N500 million  monthly that it inherited to N1.3 billion per month, cleared the arrears of salaries owed the state water corporation staff as well as the approximately N1 billion pension that was owed local government retirees inherited by the administration. Obiano has been a superlative performer.

“But, this cannot be said of Governor Okorocha whose so called popular policies like free education at all levels has been a fluke and at best an over bloated media hype. His other so called programmes have also been discovered to be mere flash in the pan as the people of Imo State have seen through his tricks and treachery as well as other clandestine tendencies.

“…As Nigerians ruminate on this matter, the question should be asked: What was he before he became governor? What was his visible source of income? May be we should look a little bit at Okorocha’s antecedent. This is a man who managed to wangle his way into the corridors of power through intrigue and deceit.

“He was the chairman of the Nigeria Red Cross Society who railroaded gullible politicians and made many individuals and corporate organisations to donate several billions in a bogus scheme.

“In other climes, people like Okorocha cannot ascend to the high office of governor. This is another indication of a lacuna in our laws that should make room for the scrutiny of the antecedents of individuals who aspire to such sensitive offices. Therefore, that Okorocha is a governor today in Nigeria is indeed an insult on our collective psyche. This is someone who had no money to contest for governorship and had to run to a billionaire industrialist from Ukpo in Anambra State who graciously assisted him because of his pan Igbo love for APGA on whose platform Okorocha contested. But soon afterwards, he abandoned APGA, thereby betraying the Igbo interest, a clear pointer that he can’t be trusted.

Okorocha has again shown that he is a very bad leader who should not be looked up to by the Igbo. In his puerile message against governor Obiano, he concluded by saying “finally, in Imo we do not have the record or culture of insulting people, but we do not shy away from undue provocation or undue attacks.

“By this statement, he is trying to pitch the entire good people of Imo against the noble Anambra people, a very sad path for a governor who should know the importance of working to unite the entire Igbo nation instead of trying to spark a fire among brothers where it does not exist. He should be man enough to leave both the people of Imo and Anambra out of this issue and face Governor Obiano record for record.

“Obviously, the records of Governor Obiano intimidate him and therefore, as a weak leader, he seeks to drag everyone into a needless war.

“Let it be emphasised that Governor Obiano has not only been paying and increasing workers emoluments, he has also introduced credible palliative measures to mitigate the suffering of Ndi Anambra from the current economic recession. For Okorocha, instead of facing the serious task of assisting his people to come out of poverty, he specialises in erecting Christmas trees worth over N10 million during the Yuletide. His unguarded utterances have also undermined his position as governor.

“What is “analogue” about a governor who had made it in the banking industry and retired as a director of fledging bank? Obiano was indeed a career professional and consummate banker whose records both in the private sector cannot be rubbished.

“Good enough, Nigerians have descended on Okorocha on the social and traditional media since the insulting statement was published, one of them wrote “What achievements can a governor like Okorocha boast of?” Another one said “Okorocha from day one is an enemy to Igbo Agenda.

“And let it be clear that we are not against him as a person, but we must differ on the ground of his inability to meet up with the challenges of governance.

Rather than cast aspersion on Governor Obiano, he should borrow a leaf from his success story in good governance and from other performing governors even of APC such as Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos.”

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