Story Of My Arrest Untrue, Okorocha Out To Destroy APC – Senator Uzodinma

The governorship candidate of Imo state All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Hope Uzodinma yesterday said that governor Rochas Okorocha, has concluded plans to destroy the APC in the state.

Uzodinma’s Director of Media and Special Duties, Declan Emelumba, in a statement to newsmen in Owerri, reacted to a report that Uzodinma was arrested for an alleged breach of contract.

He added that the story of arrest was planted by Okorocha, as one of his attempts to destroy Uzodinma, having lost the APC, governorship ticket to Senator Uzodinma.

This is as the publicity Secretary of the Imo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Onwusanya FCC Jones, said that by their investigation Uzodinma did not execute the contract for which he was allegedly arrested.

According to a statement by Uzodinma’s Director of media, “There is absolutely no iota of truth in the story trending online that the APC Governorship Candidate, Sen. Hope Uzodinma was arrested yesterday by the special Presidential investigation panel for recovery of Public Property, the Hope Uzodinma Campaign Organisation has declared.”

He pointed out that, “The story was planted by Governor Rochas Okorocha and his co-horts out of their dare-devil desperation to damage the image of the distinguished Senator before the Imo electorate who are poised to vote for him in 2019.

“The arrest news is fake, baseless, unfounded and absolutely false, without any iota of truth, adding that, “Okorocha has refused to come to grips with the reality that his son-in-law will not succeed him as governor and is going all out to damage APC and its governorship candidate in next year’s election just to see if he can substantiate his false claim that there can be no APC in Imo state without him.

“We wondered when it became the duty of the Chairman of the panel Chief Obono-Obala to send messages to correspondents directly “if there was any arrest is it not the press department of the panel that will issue such a statement to the entire media ?”

“It is very obvious that Okorocha and his people are behind this evil story. They have planned so much against the APC Governorship Candidate, from the phony dud-cheque issue to a non existent non assets declaration charge.”

The statement explained that, “Their latest plot is this Calabar dredging contract. However they should know that the company handling the Calabar dredging contract is Calabar Channels Management Company in which Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has 60% equity shares.

“So if there is anybody to be arrested for anything then it is the Managing Director of NPA and not a minority partner, Niger Global, in which Sen. Uzodimma is a shareholder.”

It was his view that, “There is clear evidence that this is a failed plot by the Governor and his men. The fact that simultaneously as they planted the story, their own so called state publicity secretary of APC Imo State, Onwuasonya FCC Jones, issued a press release celebrating the false arrest and even said in the statement that it was from their investigation that they found out about the “arrest” of the senator, shows clearly that they are behind the whole plot.”

Reacting Onwusanya said: “The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress is aware of reports that Senator Hope Uzodimma, one of the governorship aspirants on our Party’s platform has been apprehended by Law Enforcement Agencies at the Lagos Airport.

“Our investigations show that the Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District was arrested over his failure to execute a 12 Million Dollars contract awarded to him by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“This allegation, if proven true, is weighty enough and embarrassing for an individual purporting to be a chieftain of our Party. Our Party does not provide any form of shield to any individual who has questions to answer, especially, on issues of corruption and economic sabotage.

“We urge the Senator to cooperate with Law Enforcement agents on their investigation, and also take appropriate steps to clean his image of the various scandals, especially, as they concern his alleged involvement in bribery, issuance of Dud cheques, diversion of funds and sundry embarrassing allegations. As a Party, we are ashamed that an individual with such controversies is associated with us.

“We put the general public on notice that Senator Hope Uzodinma does not have the support of our Party at this time and at any other time, especially, when it has to do with issues of corruption. We consider the Senator’s actions a betrayal to our Party and an affront on President Muhammadu Buhari.”