OKOROCHA DEMANDS APOLOGY FROM IHEDIOHA, MBAISE COMMUNITY

OKOROCHA DEMANDS APOLOGY FROM IHEDIOHA, MBAISE COMMUNITY

" I won’t apologise, says deputy speaker
Following last week’s altercations between Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, at the annual new yam festival (Iri ji Mbaise) of Mbaise community, the state government has demanded an apology from Ihedioha, who was also the chief host of the event and the entire Mbaise nation, over what government described as ‘unprovoked verbal attacks’ on the governor.

Speaking through the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, Sam Onwuemeodo, government alleged that there was an elaborate plan to embarrass Governor Okorocha and deny him the opportunity of addressing the people at the occasion.

A statement signed by the governor’s spokesman reads: “After those attacks, and the fruitless effort made to prevent the governor from addressing his people, we have waited till Sunday, August 17, to see whether the Deputy Speaker of the House of representatives or leaders of the Mbaise nation, could be guided by the rules of decency to apologise to the governor for those needless attacks and actions, but all to no avail.”

The statement also accused Ihedioha of using every opportunity, at the occasion, to attack the governor, saying when the Deputy Speaker was handed kolanuts to present to visitors, instead of doing the simple task, he deviated to bluntly tell the governor how he would not return to office in 2015.

“As if that was not enough, when Hon. Ihedioha was also called upon to address the audience, instead of using that opportunity to tell the crowd what he has been able to attract to his people for twelve years, he opened another round of attack on the governor, telling the people how all the projects of the Okorocha administration were inferior..

According to the statement, government expects Ihedioha, leaders and traditional rulers of Mbaise to be decent enough to apologise over the unwarranted verbal assault on the governor.

Reacting to the statement, however, Ihedioha, who spoke through his Media Aide, Chibuike Onyeukwu, made his position clear saying; “We owe Okorocha no apology; he should as a matter of fact apologise to the Mbaise nation for defiling their festival.”

Ihedioha denied claims that he did not welcome the governor properly; saying kolanuts were duly presented to the governor. The statement by Ihedioha’s spokesman reads in part:
“Ihedioha was simply expressing the opinion of the Mbaise nation and indeed the totality of Imo people, who have rejected Governor Okorocha for his mis-governance of the state as reflected, for instance, in the lack of state government presence in the land.”