Following allegations of incompetence and complicity levelled by the senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State, Hon Uche Onyeagocha against Governor Hope Uzodimma, the Orlu Political Consultative Assembly (OPOCA) has threatened to move against him if he fails to apologise for his utterances.
However, Onyeagocha, former Secretary to Imo State Government and the PDP flagbearer for Imo East senatorial zone (Owerri zone) in a swift reaction has dared them to prosecute him even as he called them fraudsters out to defraud Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, after he issued a statement to condemn the killing of 14 people in Otulu Ubawaha in the Oru West local government area of Imo State.
OPOCA national president, Barrister Rex Anunobi who doubles as the commissioner for transport made the disclosure while reading their communique in Owerri, the Imo State capital.The media aide of Onyeagocha, Macdonald Enwerem, in his reaction said OPOCA should be ashamed of themselves that they have been silent over the killings in Orlu but only found their voice to speak against the senatorial candidate.
He said, “It’s unfortunate that they have woken up from their sleep only to fight Onyeagocha. But we will not join issues with them because they are gunmen who are out to defraud Uzodimma. Again they are ignorant that under the electoral laws, INEC cannot disqualify Uche. But we are waiting for them to prosecute Onyeagocha, in fact we are appealing to them to do so quickly, we are giving them ultimatum to prosecute or forever keep silent”.
The group called for Onyeagocha’s immediate disqualification by the Independent National Electoral Commission as a senatorial candidate of Imo East under the platform of the PDP.
It asked Onyeagucha to render apology to Governor Hope Uzodimma saying “OPOCA hereby demand that Uche Onyeagocha apologises to the Governor of Imo State and Ndi-Imo within 48 hours or be declared personae non granta as an enemy of the state”, and warned that they will call for citizen arrest of Onyeagocha wherever found on Imo soil by Orlu sons and daughters for making himself an enemy of the state and Orlu in particular.
OPOCA also called on the state attorney general and commissioner for justice to “recommence Onyeagocha’s pending trial on his alleged criminal conduct against INEC and the state in 2019. The determined efforts to cleanse our dear state of criminality must be total and comprehensive.”
It warned that failure to comply, OPOCA will seek “a fiat from the Imo Attorney General to relist the case and prosecute Onyeagocha without further delay. This is premised on OPOCA’s belief that there shouldn’t be an exemption for anybody including electoral criminals and corporate bandits in the fight against criminality”.
