Imo State Governor-elect, Emeka Ihedioha, has lamented that the outgoing governor, Rochas Okorocha, is frustrating the planning of his inauguration.
Ihedioha, who spoke through the Chairman of the Transition and Inauguration Committee, Barrister Chris Okewulonu, said that despite assurances of adequate funding of the exercise in line with the provision of the constitution, Okorocha had declined to release any fund for his inauguration.
The chairman said that even the venues for the inauguration, Dan Anyiam International Stadium and the Grasshoppers Handball Stadium, Owerri, were being renovated personally by the governor-elect.
He said that it was constitutionally enshrined that any sitting government will finance the planning of their successor’s inauguration, but in the case of Imo, it had been on the contrary.
He said: “In the course of our work, we met thrice with the outgoing government team, believing that issues agreed upon will be strictly adhered to in their implementation.
“But unfortunately, the reverse proved to be the case. Rather, we have taken note of deliberate attempts by some hirelings to blackmail the incoming administration with baseless and spurious assertion.
“In the last couple of weeks, the mass media, especially the social/new media have been awashed that N150 million was released by Governor Okorocha to the incoming administration to assist in the inauguration planning exercise.
“Let me restate for emphasis that no such money was ever released to this committee or to anybody else who is part of the incoming government,” he added.
However, reacting through his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, Okorocha accused the governor-elect of engaging in falsehood, saying that every assistance, both in kind and cash needed for the inauguration exercise had been made available to the committee.
According to him, the assertion was the style of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stressing that the party had begun to show that it is incapable of ruling the state.
Source: Daily Trust