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Tag: Sam Onwuemeodo

  • Ignore Ihedioha’s directives, Okorocha tells Imo workers

    Imo State governor Rochas Okorocha on Thursday directed Imo workers to dismiss any directive handed to them on discharge of their official responsibilities by the governor-elect, Hon Emeka Ihedioha.

    The governor pointed out until Ihedioha takes the oath of office, he lacks the power to issue directives on how civil servants should carry out the duties.

    The governor, who was reacting to the directive by the governor-elect that civil servants in the Ministry of Lands should stop the issuance of Land titles forthwith or be penalised, said that he is the only one with the Constitutional right to give a directive until the end of his administration.

    The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, in a statement, explained: “A Press Release with the referenced Caption, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, through his media aide stated that“Processing, Issuance, Execution and Collection of Certificates of Occupancy in respect of land within the Owerri Capital Territory are hereby suspended.

    “He threatened to deal with “all the Civil Servants, Public Officers, Special Aides and Government Officials in all Departments of Government” who would disobey this order.

    “We want to ask those mentioned in the press release to ignore both the directive and the threat. There is no Office like governor-elect in the Constitution of Nigeria or in any other known ordinance.

    “In other words, there is only one office of the governor in the State. And Owelle Rochas Okorocha is the Occupant of that Office now.

    “Owelle Okorocha is the only one that has the Constitutional right to issue such directives not the governor-elect. Therefore, those concerned should continue to do their works without fear of molestation since they have not contravened any law of the land or any Civil Service rule.

    “And the activities of government cannot be kept on hold because someone has been declared winner of a contentious governorship election.

    Okorocha added:  “Once again, Chief Ihedioha should remain civil until he is sworn-in on May 29, 2019. When he comes in, he knows what to do on any action taken by Owelle Okorocha’s administration. It does not require too much noise or rascality.

    “Rochas Okorocha has transformed Imo State to a very large extent. Introduced and ensured free education from Primary to the University since 2011, made Owerri a befitting State Capital with 8 to 12 lane-roads and street lights.

    “Indeed, Rochas Okorocha has more than one thousand verifiable projects to his credit. PDP only promoted share-the-money policy and dwelt extensively on merriment with expensive wines like MOET, XO, HENNESY as their choice drinks.

    :And we do not expect them to perform any magic this time. So, they should curtail the whole noise. We know their capacity”.

  • Okorocha to Ihedioha: Get sworn in before issuing directives

    Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has cautioned the state Governor-elect, Mr Emeka Ihedioha, to desist from giving directives to financial institutions in the state over their dealings with the state government.

    Okorocha issued the caution in a release signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, and made available to newsmen in Owerri on Friday,

    He described the directive by Ihedioha in Owerri on Thursday as “unfortunate and a sign of ugly things to come “.

    He advised the governor-elect to be patient and wait until he was sworn in before issuing directives to financial institutions.

    The governor said that “there is a government in place and until May 29, 2019, that government should continue to work in the interest of the state and her people and also continue to carry out programmes and policies for the same purpose.

    “To begin to harass or give directives to financial institutions in the state is an act of hostility. Financial Institutions in the state should disregard such directive and continue to do the right thing and take the right action.

    “The best that the governor-elect can do is to confront the outgoing government when he takes over on any financial transaction he has reservations at.”

    Ihedioha had urged financial institutions in the state not to engage in new transactions with the government and warned that anyone who engaged in such transactions did so at their own risk. (NAN)

  • Ohaneze’s adoption of Atiku baseless – Okorocha

    Imo State governor,  Rochas Okorocha has described the endorsement of the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar by the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization,  Ohaneze Ndigbo as null and void and of no effect.

    The Imo governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo,  insisted that “Ohaneze is a Socio-Cultural Organization and not a registered political party and there is no voting unit or polling booth called Ohaneze. So, its adoption of the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP should be seen as a folklore and should not give anybody concern”.

    Okorocha also pointed out that the action of the Igbo group, has no electoral value, “the adoption is neither here nor there, since it has no electoral value. This is also not the first time Ohaneze has adopted a PDP Presidential Candidate. It did that in 2015, yet, PDP failed with its Presidential candidate, while APC won with its Presidential candidate.

    Read Also: Imo APC seeks expulsion of Okorocha

    “And one would have expected Ohaneze to exercise caution this time following what happened in 2015. Indeed, the Organization should have done things differently especially when it remembers that all Igbos whether in PDP, APC, APGA, ADC or SDP are presumed to be members of Ohaneze”.

    He noted further that, “not minding the adoption, President Muhammadu Buhari will win in the South-East and the general election proper. So, Igbos in APC should remain focused and not to make the adoption an issue, when it is not an issue in all ramifications”.

  • APC: Okorocha dismisses expulsion rumour

    Imo State Governor,  Rochas Okorocha,  on Saturday dismissed reports of his expulsion from the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the state chapter of the party.

    The Imo noted those behind the rumoured expulsion were neither elected Executives of the party, nor appointed by the legitimate Exco.

    He noted that there is no faction in the leadership of the party in the state.

    The Chief Press Secretary to the governor,  Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo,  in a statement made available to journalists,  stated that “contrary to what has been read in some sections of the media, the Imo State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), never at any time suspended or expelled its leader, Governor Rochas Okorocha from the Party and has never contemplated doing that and won’t have any reason to think about that”.

    The statement  continued that, “there is also no faction in Imo APC. There is only one APC in the State with Hon. Daniel Nwafor as the Chairman and Owelle Rochas Okorocha as the leader. Any other group claiming to be a faction of Imo APC must obviously be a gang of 419ers or league of fraudsters who are experts in issuance of dud cheques and collecting billions for jobs not done”.

    According  to the Governor’s aide, “the the only contentious issue in Imo APC is that the National Chairman of the Party, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole imposed a known PDP member and a known character in the State on the party as its governorship candidate, and by so doing, pushing the party and its members to a very tight corner especially when it comes to the issue of marketing a Candidate.

    “If Mr. Oshiomhole didn’t want the preferred candidate of members of the Party in the State, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, for any reason, and if he actually meant well for Imo APC, he would have taken one of the guber aspirants that formed the coalition who are known members of the party, and who is also from Owerri zone since that was the reason some of them in the Coalition claimed that made them to leave the government.

    Read Also: Madumere remains impeached, says Okorocha

    “But the APC National Chairman preferred a PDP man and also from Orlu zone. And he imposed the candidate on the party and at a time the man was facing charges on corruption. That is the problem with Imo APC and its guber Candidate”.

    It also added that, “aside this problem, Oshiomhole also told his audience that he has dissolved the EXCOs of the Party from the State to the wards in total disregard of a ruling by Hon. Justice O.A. Musa of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory Bwari Abuja, delivered on August 14, 2018 in Suit No:FCT/HC/BW/CV/103/2018.

    “In the ruling, Justice Musa stated; “An order of perpetual injunction is hereby made restraining the 1st and 2nd Defendants either by themselves, the National Working Committee, or National Executive Committee from either removing, substituting, replacing, suspending or interfering with the tenure of the 3rdDefendant/Claimant, his Executive and all elected officers of the 1st Defendant contained in exhibits A,B,C and D from their elected offices.

    “And to the best of our knowledge, Justice Musa’s ruling has neither been appealed against nor quashed. In other words, Mr. Oshiomhole decided to urinate on the High Court ruling when he said he has dissolved the Daniel Nwafor EXCO and has set up the M.O. Nlemigbo Caretaker Committee. One therefore does not need to be a SAN to know that the National Chairman’s action was null, void and of no effect. It was effort in futility and that is why a contempt charge has been filed against him.

    “We are worried that the elections are around the corner and some people who are expected to know better, are behaving as if they have nothing at stake. Governor Okorocha and APC members in the State will deliver President Muhammadu Buhari and other marketable Candidates of the Party. And the party in the State shall outlive these yahoo folks”.

  • Okorocha calls for free and fair election

    As LG polls hold Saturday

     

    The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has called for a credible poll as the state holds Local Government election on Saturday.

    The Imo governor also urged the people to vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election.

    A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, stated that “Imo people will be electing 27 Chairmen for the 27 Local Government Areas in the State and about 645 Councillors, in the Local Government election slated for Saturday and to be conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC)”.

    It continued that, “in line with the vision of Governor Rochas Okorocha and policy of the State Government to take government to the communities, the State House of Assembly enacted a law that has warranted every autonomous community to elect a Councillor, with the State now having about 645 autonomous communities.

    “The governor has always believed that government should be taken to the people at the grassroots which had also occasioned his administration to come up earlier with the idea of Community Government Council (CGC) which has also transformed most of the Communities in terms of development”.

    Read Also: Okorocha: APC will win Southeast in 2019

    It also added that, “and having seen the great impact of the CGC in the communities, an executive bill was sent to the State House of Assembly for a law that would enable autonomous communities to elect their Councillors and the Councillors will be the link between the government at all levels in the State and the individual communities for development.

    “The Councillors will also be working hand-in-glove with their respective traditional rulers for the Development or Progress of the autonomous communities involved.

    The governor’s aide further stressed that, ” the Governor has urged the Imo electorate to vote for the Chairmanship and Councillorship Candidates of All Progressives Congress, APC, in the election since the APC government has done very well for the seven years it has held sway in the State.

    “The governor also called for peaceful Conducts on the sides of the Political Parties and Candidates taking part in the election, while ISIEC should ensure free and fair election. He wishes all the Candidates well”.

     

  • Defection: Oshiomole’s emergence saved APC from collapse – Okorocha

    Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has called on stakeholders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to support the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomole as he stabilises  the party.

    The Imo governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press  Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, stated that Oshiomole’s emergence saved APC from implosion.

    He observed that the party would have totally collapsed if the former National Chairman of the party, Odigie Oyegun and the National Working Committee were allowed to pilot the affairs of the party for another one year as proposed with the tenure elongation.

    According to Okorocha, “with the scenarios that have played out within the fold of the APC, at the moment and in less than one month after the National Convention of the Party, it is obvious that the emergence of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as National Chairman has saved the party from an impending catastrophe”.

    “With the unfolding developments in the party, the story would have been very nauseating if there was no National Convention and if Adams Oshiomhole had not emerged as the National Chairman of the Party”.

    “It can also be argued that some of the proponents of tenure elongation were innocently doing so without having an overview of the entire disturbing picture behind the scheming for elongation of tenure. All these defections, as we all could see, were never planned in the past few weeks. The coming of Oshiomhole just forced the cat out of the bag.

    “With the events too, leaders of the party could now see the wisdom in jettisoning the clamour for tenure elongation for the John Oyegun led National Working Committee (SWC) members, and opting for a National Convention to elect new officers. In the circumstance, those who opposed the elongation stuff and insisted on convention should now be commended”.

    Okorocha was also quoted as saying  that, “one could easily imagine what would have been the case if the party had allowed the Oyegun-led SWC to continue and what would have happened at the party’s primaries especially that of Presidency.

    “What is happening in the party now could not have been planned and executed within these few weeks Oshiomhole took over as the National Chairman of the party. Rather, his coming only altered the plan of those who wanted to destroy APC to serve personal interests.

    “When the issue of elongation came up, we heard a lot of stories why some of those behind the undemocratic demand were persistent on that. That, there was an arrangement somewhere to shortchange President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential primary for 2019. And with events of the moment, that claim has got an alibi.

    Read also: 13 APC LG chairmen defect to PDP

    “In other words, Oshiomhole’s coming was timely. He came at the appropriate time. He is on it and will get it right. All we need to do is to support him. APC has come to stay as number one party in the Country and even in Africa. And whatever that is happening in the party now are indices of Party Politics and they have nothing to do with the fortunes of the party either now or in 2019.

    “In 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari will be re-elected by Nigerians. The Party will also have more governors and more legislators elected by the electorate because the records are available to show that we have done well in four years compared with the sixteen years spent by the other party.

    “Adams Oshiomhole has the political will and all it takes to make APC an institution that we shall all be proud of. We know his capacity and that was why we all supported him. He will drive us safely to our destination by the grace of God”.

  • “Nothing like Coalition group in Imo APC” – Okorocha

    Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has described as faceless those claiming to be a Coalition group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

    The Imo governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, described  those claiming to be ‘Coalition of Imo APC’  as “food is ready politicians” insisting that there is only one party in the state with him as the leader.

    Okorocha who was reacting to a recent publication by a group known as the Coalition of Imo APC, which gave the governor a 21-day ultimatum to reverse his support for his Chief of Staff, Chief Uche Nwosu for governor in 2019, noted that none of the Coalition members won his booth in the last elections.

    He described them as “attention-seeking and little-minded politicians, paid to disturb the peace of APC in the State”
    The Governor, further reiterated his support for Nwosu vowing that he will win the governorship election in the state.

    According to him, “and for their information, Uche Nwosu will win the ticket of the Party and win the election proper in 2019. If the Coalition has the Capacity, let them file behind a Candidate and let’s see how far they can go. Why are they bothered about Uche Nwosu’s aspiration? They have read the hand-writing on the wall and have discovered that the young man is the Candidate to beat. They are worried because Uche Nwosu is the man.

    Governor Okorocha continued that, “these are people terribly envious of the general and popular acceptance, the young Nwosu’s aspiration has garned across the political parties and political zones in the state, even several months to the election proper. And the youths are seeing the Uche Nwosu Project as their own, and they are on the same page with women, and of course with men who love progress.

    “There are more than ten registered political parties and about thirty-four governorship aspirants in the state. Let them take one of the political parties and throw their light political weight behind one of the aspirants and work for his victory if they can do that. But the truth is that these are internet politicians who cannot remember when they visited their wards last. They hold their scanty meetings at a roadside restaurant.

    “Their problem is that, of all the aspirants in APC and of all the aspirants in other Parties in the State, none can defeat Uche Nwosu. That is their headache” Okorocha”.

  • #BBNaija: Okorocha congratulates Miracle

    Imo state governor, Rochas Owelle Okorocha has congratulated the winner of the 2018 Big Brother Naija Reality Show, Mr. Miracle Igbokwe.

    Miracle is an indigene of Imo state.

    The governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, described Miracle, as a good ambassador of the state, adding that he was not surprised that he ended up being the winner of the show.

    He commended him for conducting himself well for the 12 weeks the entertaining event lasted.

    The governor disclosed that the State Government would give Miracle the attention he deserves and commended him for the good remarks he made about the free and qualitative education in the state.

    He equally commended the organizers of the event for coming up with such youth oriented show.

     

  • “We won’t pull down Zuma’s statue”, Okorocha replies critics

    “We won’t pull down Zuma’s statue”, Okorocha replies critics

    Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha on Friday, said the state will not pull down the statue of former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, who resigned in the heat of corruption allegation.

    The Imo governor had erected Zuma’s statue in Owerri last year, amid widespread criticism.

    Okorocha in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary,  Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, said, “on the Jacob Zuma’s Statue in Owerri and the resignation of the man few days ago as President of South Africa, the statue will not be pulled down. The statue was erected when the man was a sitting president. We should also be keen in his life story”.

    The statement continued that “for instance, a man who didn’t receive any formal education but rose to play a major role in the freedom of his people and also became president of one of the leading African nations calls for sober reflection.

    Read Also:  South Africa: Zuma out, Ramaphosa in

    He also resigned honorably. And after his coming to Imo where he spoke against the killings of Nigerians in South Africa, the situation came under control to a large extent. Zuma came to Imo to partner Rochas Foundation College for Africa. He didn’t come for politics. And even after his departure as President, he would still go ahead to make his contributions to the education of the less privileged children in Africa”.

    It added further that, “and whatever Okorocha has done in Imo, he has done so for the good of the people. Okorocha’s achievements in Imo are unequalled, and have exceeded the achievements of all those before him put together. This has continued to be our usual claim and nobody has challenged us on this claim including ex-governors of the State still alive. Our achievements will speak for us in 2019. Our achievements will be our electoral talisman in 2019.

    “Imo people have seen our monumental achievements and have also read criticisms against us. But seeing they say, is believing and not reading”.

  • Okorocha denies sacking Imo chairman of traditional rulers

    Okorocha denies sacking Imo chairman of traditional rulers

    Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo State says he did not sack the Chairman of the state Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Samuel Ohiri as insinuated in the social media.

    The governor refuted the report in statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo in Owerri on Wednesday.

    Okorocha described the report as ‘baseless’ and urged the general public to disregard the rumour.

    Some state tabloids and social media reported that Ohiri has been sacked by the governor over gross misconduct.

    According to him, if there is need to sack Ohiri or any other government official, the information will be communicated through the appropriate quarters.

    “How can I sack a top government official on the pages of newspapers?

    “I have not sacked Eze Ohiri and now that it is clear to both rumour mongers and the general public, it is left for them to say their source of information,” he said.

    NAN