Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has accused the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev. Anthony J.V Obinna, of blackmail as the 2019 general elections get nearer.
A statement by the governor’s media aide, Sam Onwuemeodo said: “We have read the latest accusation by Archbishop Anthony Obinna of the Catholic Diocese of Owerri against Governor Okorocha, and we shall continue to show our respect for the Archbishop, but, one fact remains sacrosanct, he cannot install a governor of APGA extraction in 2019, because he could not do that in 2015 when he first tried it.
“The archbishop had hidden under his Easter message to continue his onslaught on the governor and his Rescue Mission Government, making it the tenth time in less than two months he had descended on the governor and the administration.
“Of all the allegations the archbishop made against the governor, the most unfortunate was the one he said Governor Okorocha is the only voice which everyone has to listen to and obey, otherwise, arrests and imprisonments would follow. That was the height of blackmail.”
Okorocha alleged that the Catholic prelate has continued his onslaught against his government using his Easter message as a guise.
The governor’s aide faulted the claims by the Catholic prelate that the people of the state have been living in fear and panic, even as he challenged him to mention anyone who has been arrested in the state for criticizing the governor.
“And we humbly wish to challenge the archbishop to mention just one person the governor or government arrested for any reason, including criticizing him or anybody, since he came on board as governor in 2011.
“Where the archbishop fails to do this, we ask with every sense of politeness, that he corrects that false claim, and, if he deems it worth-doing, apologise to the governor.”
He said that of all the governors who have governed Imo state, both military and civilian, Okorocha stands out as the most tolerant and accommodating, adding: “the overwhelming love of Imo people for the governor means more to us than the weak voice of the opposition in the state made up of few politicians.”
He alleged that Archbishop Obinna has intensified his disdain or hatred for All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Okorocha this time because of the 2019 election.
“And the archbishop should know that most people have become fed up with his repeated unprovoked and unwarranted attacks on the governor and his government, using every platform and every event available to him.”
Source: Daily Sun.
