No Plan To Impeach My Deputy – Gov Okorocha

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state has dismissed news of a planned impeachment of his Deputy, Eze Madumere, as a ruse and a figment of the imagination of political rabble-rousers in the state.

He said that those allegedly plotting the much rumoured impeachment neither have the capacity to do so nor are they members of the State House of Assembly whose statutory duty is to effect impeachment.

This is even as he has vowed never to pull down the statue of Jacob Zuma, the former President of South Africa in the state.

Newsmen reports that for some time now, news of the planned impeachment of Madumere had been in both the social and conventional media while recently, there have been calls in the state for the removal of the statue of Jacob Zuma who recently resigned from office as president of South Africa.

In a statement in Owerri, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, explained that those who cooked up the impeachment story in the hope that it would help them in their ambition are also the ones marketing it.

Onwuemeodo challenged politicians in the state who are angling for Okorocha’s job in 2019 and who think that they could realize their ambitions without the support of the Governor should go and do what he (Okorocha) did in 2011 and 2015 by taking the ticket of APGA and winning the election and by joining the APC and also winning for a second term in 2015.

He contended that “there are lot of political parties looking for people to come and take their tickets,” stating that any of the aspirants who thinks or feels he has the political capacity to win election in Imo state without Rochas’ contribution should go for the ticket of one of such parties and win election and let the people see.

But for the APC Imo, Onwuemeodo said that his boss cannot and will not be allowed to leave it for anybody because when he was risking his second tenure and life to build the party most of these people were either not there or were sitting on the fence.

On the Jacob Zuma’s Statue in Owerri and the resignation of the man few days ago as President of South Africa, Onwuemeodo insisted that the statue would not be pulled down, arguing that the statue was erected when the man was a sitting president.

The statement added: “We should also be keen in his life story. 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.

“He also resigned honourably. 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.”

He recalled that the former South African President came to Imo to partner with Rochas Foundation College for Africa and did not come for politics, stressing that 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.

He contended that whatever Okorocha has done in Imo, he has done so for the good of the people, adding that his 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,” he stated.