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Tag: Governor Rochas Okorocha

  • Imo 2019: Okorocha’s men fight over his seat

    Following fear that the battle for the succession of Governor Rochas Okorocha has put a knife on the things that held the leaders of Imo Government’s Rescue Mission Team together, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, takes a closer look at the top leaders of the group fighting for the APC’s ticket to contest for the governor’s plum seat    

    THEY are the leaders of Imo Rescue Team, the favoured political sons of Governor Rochas Okorocha, who dominated the political theatre of Imo State in the last seven years of Rochas’ administration. Until the current quest for the governorship ticket of All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead 2019 elections, they were members of what observers described as the most solid political family in the South-East state in the recent years. But today, as the late Prof. Chinua Achebe would have put it, the quest to succeed the outgoing governor has, “put a knife in the thing that held this once united family together” and as a result, things have fallen apart.

    The Nation investigation shows that the front liners in the political family currently associated with desperate battle to succeed Okorocha include:

    Eze Madumere

    Until recently, most members of the Rescue Team and other observers have taken it for granted that the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, is Governor Rochas Okorocha’s preferred successor.

    Insiders and informed observers of the All Progressives Congress-led state government of Imo State said he is both favoured and positioned to succeed his political mentor. Besides being one of the oldest associates of the governor within the ruling political family, and a noted achiever both as Chief of Staff and now Deputy Governor, he is a known confidant of Owelle and is highly favoured by what some analysts call the “zoning factor.” This is because he is from Owerri zone, the only senatorial district in the state yet to produce a governor since 1999.

    But since the governor spoke about the age factor and went further to confirm his endorsement of Uche Nwosu, notwithstanding that Madumere and other members of the political family had declared; it seems the rhythm of the game has taken a new tone. Everyone is watching closely to see how Madumere will fare in the impending battle.

    Acho Ihim

    Rt. Hon. Acho Ihim, a lawmaker from Umuonyeneri Village of Umualumoke in Okigwe Senatorial Zone, is the Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly. His ambition to succeed Governor Okorocha is not new. Known to be very close to the state Chief Executive, unconfirmed sources alleged that it was Okorocha that personally promised the state chief lawmaker, very early in his administration, to hand over to him.

    As a result, Ihim has done everything within his power to ensure a warm relationship between the executive and the legislature in the state. Ironically, his passionate support for Okorocha has also been the source of his criticism amongst his colleagues in the House. For example, during the 2017 budget face-off between the state lawmakers and Okorocha, Ihim’s colleagues came hard on the Speaker, accusing him of abandoning them because of his governorship ambition.

    Born in 1962, Ihim is however more than 50, the age limit Okorocha recently gave as the limit for his likely successor. This added to the fact that Okigwe may not be favoured by the zoning formula and the governor’s current endorsement of Nwosu, has raised doubts on Ihim’s governorship ambition in 2019. It remains to be seen how he would react to the development.

    Uche Nwosu

    Although Chief Uche Nwosu, from Umunwokwe, Eziama-Obaire in Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo State, is today mentioned more in the media as the anointed governor’s son-in-law, whose major claim to the high office is his marriage to the governor’s first daughter, a Director in the state Ministry of Land told The Nation this week  that Nwosu achieved so much in the ministry.

    “There is no doubt that his stay at the Lands Ministry here is remarkable because it witnessed the digitalisation of Lands records and issuance of Certificate of Ownership (C of O) to land owners within a reasonable period of time. This has helped so much to abolish the activities of illegal land speculators who had hitherto defrauded unsuspecting members of the public,” he said.

    His critics however said amongst the top aspirants for the office, he is possibly the least experienced politician. A member of the Rescue Mission, who said it would not be safe to disclose his identity, said “he may have the ears of the governor more than the others and may have studied and understood the governor’s mode of governance, but we, as a group, are concerned over his political experience. You don’t need to be told that he has not played politics as much as the other aspirants within the political family.

    Dismissing such fears however, a top government official in the state said on Thursday, “As you know, Owelle Rochas Okorocha knows us all and can tell what each of us is capable of doing, politically and when it comes to governance.

    Notwithstanding the accusation that he has publicly chosen his son-in-law, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, among other members of the Rescue Mission family because of family sentiment, we, the members of the family know Owelle enough. I can tell you that if the governor feels his son-in-law is not capable, he will not chose him.

    “Of all the influential members of the governor’s Rescue Mission Team being considered to succeed Okorocha, it may not be wrong to say that Ugwumba Nwosu commands the largest followership among other contenders for the governorship seat in the governor’s camp because he has endeared himself to the youths in the state through his philanthropic dispositions,” the director said.

    Besides these three other members of the family who thought they were favoured by the governor and had allegedly invested heavily in setting up political structure include Hon. Chike Okafor, a member of the Federal House of Representatives and former Commissioner for Finance; Sir Jude Ejiogu, a former Secretary to Imo State Government and former Chief of Staff to the Governor; and George Eche, the Secretary to the State Government, among others.

    With Okorocha’s recent indorsement of Nwosu, observers, who believe trouble awaits the family, are keen to see how the governor will reconcile his men and keep the family united ahead of 2019 elections.

  • Killers at Heroes Square

    Killers at Heroes Square

    Scorpion. Explosives. Rocket launchers. AK47. All these conjure imageries of sorrow, tears and blood. And they seem incompatible with the words ‘forgiveness’, ‘heroes’ and ‘amnesty’. But a way was found around them in Imo State on Monday. Perhaps acting in line with the saying that it is human to err and divine to forgive.

    But some sins are just too much to be forgiven, especially when the sinners’ motives for seeking forgiveness are suspect. Killers should have no place at Heroes Square.

    I came to this conclusion on Monday after Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha promised to recommend some of the men behind New Year eve’s massacre in Rivers State to the Federal Government for amnesty. He said he forgave them. They submitted weapons. Yes, weapons of mass destruction. They said they had turned a new leaf.  They were dancing. To them, it was a dance of penitence. To me, it was like they were celebrating the fact that they could enjoy VIP treatment after shedding innocent blood.

    Emenike Agamu, aka General Red Scorpion, was fourth in command to late dreaded militant, Johnson Igwedibia, aka Don Waney. He led the men who surrendered arms to security operatives in the Imo State capital. This was after their boss and his younger brother were felled by the military. Fear of falling to the superior firepower of the military obviously made fake repentance.

    As at the time Red Scorpion and his gang of evil men held their show of shame in Owerri, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike was still looking for them. He had released a list containing their names.

    Speaking at the Owerri circus, Scorpion confessed that the militant group led by the late Waney killed plenty people and blew up many oil pipelines. He said they were driven into crime by unemployment and poverty. Murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping and cultism were the evils these men wrought on their compatriots.

    Okorocha believed them. I do not. He thinks they deserve forgiveness and even amnesty. I disagree. He perhaps feels they should continue to enjoy the blood money in their kitty. No. No sir.

    The governor called them activists. I say they are criminals. He said “their surrendering arms will end the security challenges we have in the Ohaji/Egbema, Awara and the rest of the areas where people have been on self-exile for many years”. I do not share his optimism. These boys will go back to the creeks and use their hidden weapons once they cannot get free cash again.

    Okorocha called them “our brothers and sisters”. He was kind enough to admit that they stayed in the creeks and forest “perpetuating all kinds of evil, killing and maiming human beings”.

    He added that “our children have decided on their own to come back to the society and be part of the society. They are doing so on their own, surrendering arms which they have used in committing criminal activities for what they called expression of grievances of different sorts”.

    Okorocha was glad that “the lives of these boys have not been left in the hands of the military and police who would have wasted them but today they are been reintegrated into our society to become good citizens”.

    The governor did not end without declaring the clincher: “The state has forgiven them and will subsequently give their names to the Federal Government for amnesty.”

    For some reasons, I do not trust these men. I strongly feel that the weapons they submitted are just a fraction of what they have in their arsenal.

    Amnesty should not be for every Tom, Dick and Harry. The beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, launched under the late Umaru Musa Ya’Adua, were not known to have opened fire on innocent citizens like Waney and his men did on New Year’s eve. These guys deserve to face the law and serve their time.

    These guys do not deserve to be called human-beings. How can anyone who killed people who did not offend him be regarded as human-being? How can someone who killed just to score a point be regarded as human-being? I think we should cut them with knife and see if blood will come out. I have this feeling blood does not flow in their veins.

    We were all in joyous mood that the New Year was here. Then Waney in his evil enclave told Scorpion and others to go to Rivers, his home state where he was even a titled chief, and kill fathers, mothers and children. And they obeyed. By the time they were through, not less than 20 people were dead. Before then, these evil men were known to have killed people and cut off their heads, which they obviously took away as evidence for their masters.

    While I do not agree with Wike that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State was out to procure amnesty for these self-confessed criminals, I concur with him that these men shed innocent blood in Rivers and if for anything they are to be considered for amnesty, it is Rivers’ business. Not Imo’s. Yes, they have camps in Imo from where they wreaked havoc on the two states, but the last offence for which they are wanted was committed in Rivers. What Imo is trying to do in this respect is nothing but playing the meddlesome interloper.

    As pointed out by the Rivers State government, Section 212 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), does not give the Imo governor the power to grant amnesty to any person for an offence committed in Rivers State. May be Okorocha can grant them amnesty for the offences they committed in Imo State and pass them to Rivers to decide what to do with them.

    My final take: Killers have nothing in common with heroes. So the sort of heroes’ treatment they received at the Heroes Square in Owerri on Monday is disgusting. Their victims must be turning in their graves at the show of shame superintended by the Imo strongman.

  • Imo commissioners pledge to perform

    The Imo State Commissioner for Youth Development Hon. Ifeanyichukwu Onwueyiagba and his Sports counterpart Dr. Martins Ohiri, have assumed duties at the former Ministry of Youth, Sports and Public Safety, Owerri, Imo State Secretariat Complex.

    Addressing the Heads of Departments (HODs) at the Conference Hall of the Ministry, Hon. Onwueyiagba described his appointment as historic, stating that he would remain appreciative of Governor Rochas Okorocha. He promised to learn from HODs to make positive impact so as to add to the passion Governor Okorocha has for the youths of Imo and their development. He said the N1 million released by the governor to the 305 wards and N5 million empowerment fund to Ohaji/Egbema youths, were some of the good gestures of the governor geared towards a solid future for youths promising to sustain Okorocha’s magnanimity.

    In a statement, Brendan Nwaozor, the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Public Safety

    Public Relations Officer (PRO), said Ohiri thanked the governor for finding him worthy to represent him at the Ministry of Sports. He sees his appointment as a challenge to prove his mettle, stressing that with grace of God and assistance of the Permanent Secretary, and the HODs, sports in the state would move to a higher level. Ohiri appealed for team work to realise Okorocha’s vision for sports development.

    Earlier, Hon Onwueyiagba and Ohiri paid a courtesy visit to the Head of Service, Mr. Callistus Ekenze. The Head of Service Mr. Ekenze congratulated them on their appointments, He wished them success and urged them to prove their worth by improving on the success legacy, left behind by their predecessors.

    The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Rosemary Izuogu, welcomed the two commissioners to the Ministries and informed them that the entire staff were happy to receive them. She promised that they will put in their best to ensure they excel in their individual Ministry. She later took the two Commissioners round the various Offices and Departments of the Ministries on a familiarisation tour.

     

  • Probe Okorocha over ‘statues of Zuma, Johnson-Sirleaf’ – SERAP to ICPC

    Probe Okorocha over ‘statues of Zuma, Johnson-Sirleaf’ – SERAP to ICPC

    Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP) has asked Dr Muhammad Isah Acting Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and Professor Bolaji Owasanoye Acting Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to “jointly investigate allegations of incompatibility and/or apparent conflict of interest situation, and abuse of office involving Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State in connection with the exercise of his public functions and leadership of the Rochas Okorocha Foundation, and to collaborate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in any such investigation.”

    The organization said that “Such investigation would help to improve public confidence in public authorities, and minimize the risks of bad government by public officials.”

    In the petition dated 10 November 2017 and signed by SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organization expressed “serious concern that Governor Okorocha may have spent over N1 billion of public funds to build statues of South African President Jacob Zuma and Liberian President Mrs Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.”

    According to the organization, “the spending on statues and apparent misuse of public resources may have violated constitutional provisions and international standards on code of conduct for public officers. The initiatives cannot be justified under any circumstances whatsoever, especially at a time when Imo state is unable or unwilling to pay teachers’ salaries and pensioners’ entitlements.”

    The petition copied to Ibrahim Magu Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) read in part: “Inviting Zuma and Johnson-Sirleaf to attend the opening of his Foundation and then ‘honouring’ them with statues suggests abuse of office and apparent conflict of interest situation, as such acts were undertaken by Governor Okorocha in the exercise of his public functions to presumably promote and advance the commercial and other interests of the Foundation.

    “SERAP believes that rather than serving the common interest of the public, spending over N1 billion possibly of public funds on Zuma and Johnson-Sirleaf in the context of their participation in the opening of the Rochas Okorocha Foundation would seem to put Governor Okorocha in a conflict of interest situation.

    “SERAP notes that the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and UN Convention against Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party prohibit conflict of interests and set ethical standards for public officers. Indeed, both the Constitution and the Convention require public officers to abstain from all acts that may compromise the exercise of their public office and functions, or are inconsistent with their entrusted positions.

    “Public officers also must discharge their public duties truthfully and faithfully, abide by the constitutional code of conduct, observe the primacy of public interest, and not allow their personal interest to influence their official conduct.”

    “The CCB and ICPC should carry out a joint investigation in collaboration with the EFCC of the allegations of conflict of interest, abuse of office and apparent misuse of public funds by Governor Okorocha. SERAP also urges the CCB and ICPC to prosecute Governor Okorocha after leaving office if there is relevant and sufficient admissible evidence of abuse of public office against him.

    “Conflict of interest represents a situation where the person exercising a public function has a personal interest of patrimonial or commercial nature, which could influence the objective fulfilment of the duties incumbent on public officers under the Constitution and international standards.

    “Conflict of interest arises from a situation in which a public official has a private interest which is such as to influence or appear to influence the impartial and objective nature of his or her official duties in order to promote private interests, which would be contrary to the public interest.

    “According to reports, Governor Okorocha recently hosted two African presidents—South African President Jacob Zuma and Liberian President Mrs Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and built statues in Owerri to ‘honour’ them. The statues reportedly cost over N1 billion to build. Further, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Zuma Foundation and the Rochas Foundation was signed, while Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf visited the newly established Rochas Foundation College of Africa (ROFOCA).”

  • Buhari greets  Okorocha at 55

    Buhari greets  Okorocha at 55

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State on his 55th birthday.

    In a personal congratulatory message to the Governor, President Buhari extolled the celebrant’s sterling leadership qualities, selfless philanthropy and commitment to the nation’s unity.

    The President, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, also wished him many more years of service to his people and to the country.

    The letter reads in part: ‘‘On this special occasion, I wish to commend Governor Okorocha’s leadership and commitment to the people of Imo State and the entire nation.

    ‘‘His philanthropy has touched many lives in states across the country, from the south to the north.

    ‘‘I also wish to express my deep appreciation to him for his support and commitment to the success of this administration.

    ‘‘Owelle Rochas Okorocha had the vision to look beyond ethnic bias and align his political interest and that of his people with that of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), even when many in his region did not have such foresight.” he stated

  • Igbo language must not be allowed to die – Okorocha

    Igbo language must not be allowed to die – Okorocha

    The Imo State government has forbidden traditional rulers from speaking English or any other foreign language at public functions or in their palaces while conducting affairs of their communities.

    Governor Rochas Okorocha, who gave the directive, said the Monarchs could use interpreters if the need arises.

    Okorocha spoke while handing over letters of recognition and staff of office to 19 traditional rulers.

    The governor noted that “Igbo language must not be allowed to die, as being predicted in some quarters”.

    He urged the monarchs to be agents of peace and prosperity in their domains “instead of being tools of disunity and destabilisation”.

    Okorocha warned that any traditional ruler who cannot show genuine leadership in his community could have his Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office withdrawn.

    He said: “Today, history is made that light has come and darkness would not comprehend at all. The truth has surfaced and the right people have finally become the custodian of the traditional rights of their people. You are not permitted to speak English at functions. This will help to keep our culture and Igbo language alive.

    “For many years, most of you have been looking for a day like this. Some of you were victims of injustice and never believed that this could be possible; most of you have been waiting without knowing your fate. But today, it is a manifest of truth that your people have chosen you, and the government of Imo State has approved.

    “I took the bold step of reconciling people, to ensure that truth came to be, and voided the rancour that existed in various communities over Eze title. This has equally affected the Community Government Council (CGC) negatively because every community requires an Eze to function effectively as the head of the Community Government Council.

    “Today, that responsibility has fallen on you. I urge you not to fail, as failure is not an option. I encourage you to help the government in developing the resources of our land. Posterity will only remember you for your positive contributions in the development of your communities and not in how much wealth you amassed as an Eze.”

  • Vacancy: Imo Air operated by Dana begins recruitment

    Imo Air operated by Dana Air has commenced recruitment of indigenes of the state to occupy various positions in the airline as promised by Governor Rochas Okorocha, during the launch of the airline on 24 of January 2017.

    During the interview which commenced in the first week of February, over 400 Imo indigenes participated in the process even as the airline prepares to hit the ground running with a number of initiatives to better impact the indigenes of the state and the South East at large.

    According to the Accountable Manager of Imo Air operated by Dana Air, Mr Obi Mbanzuo, “we have commenced recruitment of Imo state indigenes to occupy various positions in the airline and the process will be in batches.  

    We intend keeping to the promise of the Governor and at the same time; we are trying not to over bloat our workforce.  As you may be aware, Dana Air was selected to manage Imo Air as a result of our consistency, on-time performance, world-class in-flight service, and shrewd managerial style and we intend sticking to this style just so we can match-up to the operational challenges in the industry.’’

    ‘Definitely, all qualified candidates will be absorbed and as an airline committed to giving back to the society; we are already looking at other areas to impact and contribute our quota to increasing the traffic to Imo state, to make the state an investment and tourism hub in the south-east.’’

    Governor Okorocha while reacting to the news of the recruitment said ‘the exercise is just a confirmation of the promises we made during the launch of Imo Air. I am happy about this, as people thought we were joking about this well thought-out idea. 

    ”The truth is, we want people to visit Imo State for both business and pleasure and going into an airline business was just a perfect business decision, considering that Imo state is the fastest developing city in Nigeria at the moment. And as you know, tourism and aviation are a perfect combination, one cannot work without the other.”

    “We are also monitoring the progress of work at the Cargo International Airport and hopefully in April or May, we will receive the first Cargo plane in Imo State. Imolites should expect more Imo-centric initiatives and very soon, the 10% discount for Imo indigenes will also be unveiled.  We are still working out the modalities and we want to prove to the world that this administration walks the talk and doesn’t just pay lip service to projects.”

    ”Let me also mention here that, Dana Air the operator of Imo Air; is part of a massive conglomerate which spans Automobile, Aviation, Pharmaceutical, Steel, Plastics, Water, Chemical, Banking, and Real Estate. And the idea is to have them invest in various areas in Imo state, particularly in Agriculture. This is our plan as we believe creating a favourable business environment for local investors will bring forth foreign investments and investors’.’ 

    Dana Air having flown a record 4.5 million passengers in the last eight years of its operation, entered into an airline partnership with the Imo State Government to boost tourism, business activities and employment opportunities in the state.

  • I regret collecting bailout fund, says Okorocha

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday regretted collecting the N26 billion bailout funds from the federal government.

    He said the monthly deductions, which will run for the next twenty years, have drastically affected the allocation of the state.

    Stating that the state was in dire financial strait, Okorocha explained after implementation of agreement with Labour, which left the state with 30 percent of the allocation, the salaries and entitlements of senior functionaries were slashed by 35%.

    He debunked insinuations that the bailout funds were diverted or misappropriated.

    The governor restated that the funds were used for payment of salaries.

    According to him: “Before we got the bailout funds, the workers have started shouting about their salaries and we had to borrow money from Zenith bank to pay the salaries.

    “So when the fund hit our bank, it was disbursed to several other bank accounts including the Government House Account to pay those that were not captured in the civil service”.

    Reacting to the recent invitation of his Principal Secretary, Dr Pascal Obi, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the alleged misappropriation of the bailout fund, Okorocha said there was no big deal about it.

    “EFCC is free to investigate any allegation of fraud against anyone but that does not mean that the person in question is guilty.”

  • Okorocha presents N102b budget for 2016

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday presented a budget of N102,208,328,832 for the 2016 fiscal year to the House of Assembly.

    The ‘Budget of Consolidation and Continuity’ allocates 43.1 per cent to capital expenditure and 56.9 per cent to recurrent expenditure.

    It targets N23,209,460,416 from the Federal Allocation, N17,458,290,000 from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and N148,480,802 from Excess Crude Oil.

    Okorocha said the policy thrust of the budget was anchored on the completion of ongoing projects. “Substantial provision will be channeled towards the completion of ongoing projects while new projects of high priority will also receive attention in line with the state’s medium-term expenditure framework.”

    He said the budget was anchored on free and qualitative education from primary to tertiary level, rapid industrialisation, efficient health care delivery, agricultural and infrastructure development.

  • Okorocha flays Presidency over arrest of supporters

    Okorocha flays Presidency over arrest of supporters

    Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State yesterday condemned what he called the massive clampdown on supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC by officials of the Department of State Security (DSS) during the general elections in the state.

    At Ogboko, the hometown of the state Governor, in Ideato South Council Area of the State, security operatives reportedly invaded the Rochas Foundation School where about 135 students who were waiting to be taken to their polling units for the voters’ accreditation were arrested and detained.

    Also arrested on trumped up charges were the Principal Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Pascal Obi, Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chidi Ibe, the coordinator of the Southeast Proffesionals for Buhari, Sir Okenze Opara and the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo.

    However when contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem, said he was not aware of the arrests. According to him, “I am not aware of any arrests. I have been with the CP on state wide monitoring exercise”.

    But Okorocha, accused the Presidency of masterminding the arrest of APC supporters and his aides. The Governor who spoke with journalists shortly after casting his vote at Ogboko, alleged that the security operatives were acting the script of the Presidency, which he said was to stampede and break members of the APC.

    He noted that about 500 voters who were APC supporters were arrested and detained at an emergency cell set up for that purpose.

    According to him,”they have arrested voters who committed no offence at the instance of a Minister. We are not worried though because I suppose this is the price we have to pay to make Nigeria better and sustain our democracy. I think there was a clear cut directive by the Presidency to arrest APC supporters. Emergency cells were created in the communities”.

    The Imo Governor however expressed optimism that the APC will still win the election, adding that, “there is attempt by the PDP to frustrate the process of free and fair election and they are helped by the security operatives. I have made attempt to secure the release of the people but the security operatives have been dribbling me. But I will take up this matter to any extent to prove that this is unfair”.

    When The Nation visited the temporary cell where the students were kept, there was heavy presence of  security operatives who denied Journalists access to the detained students.

    Commenting on the arrest, the State Director of the DSS, Olusegun Adegboyega, said that the 135 students were arrested with over 200 Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) including cloned ones.

    He further stated that some of the suspects were under aged and were drawn from outside the state. He said that they have made useful confessions that will be made public later.

    Meanwhile the Governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha, shortly after casting his vote at Mbutu in Aboh Mbaise LGA in an interview, stated that  “some people haven’t been successful with the use but of the Card Reader.

    “It’s obvious that because of our technological difficulties, we are not yet there, because you can see that the accreditation time is lagging.  It’s not as efficient as it should be but I thought it should have been done on a very micro scale to try the process but interestingly we hear incidences of malfunctioning. Obviously I don’t think this process will give us what we wanted”.

    I believe that at the end of the day, INEC should combine the manual accreditation and electronic voting. But truly this process calls for great improvement. Meanwhile the turnout is very satisfactory and encouraging”.

    Speaking in a similar vein, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Captain Emmanuel Ihenacho, complained about the hitches in operating the Card Reader.

    He noted that the exercise would have been a lot faster if INEC had perfected the use of the Card Readers, adding that, “we had many glitches during the exercise but INEC has two clear weeks to prepare for the governorship election and we expect that if the technicalities are not put alright the people should be accredited manually”.