Supporters of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, and his predecessor, Rochas Okorocha, have clashed over an alleged plan to recall Okorocha as the Senator representing Imo West District at the National Assembly.
A group of Uzodinma’s supporters under the auspices of Orlu Political Consecutive Assembly (OPOCA) had insisted on continuing with the plans to recall Okorocha from the Senate, while another group, Association of Orlu Women for Good Governance (AOWGG) cautioned the governor not to spend state resources in recalling the senator.
AOWGG, had in a press conference, called on Uzodinma and Okorocha, who they described as their sons, to stop “disgracing the people of Orlu zone.”
The President-General, AOWGG, Mrs Bailia Chibuike, called on the governor to stop fighting Okorocha, face governance, provide the dividends of democracy for Imo people, and leave Okorocha alone.
She alleged that the state government had given OPOCA N1 billion for Okorocha’s recall, and urged the government to take the money back and use it for other meaningful things.
However, OPOCA insisted on its plans to recall Okorocha, saying the senator “has crossed the red line and has touched the tail of a sleeping tiger.”
The group’s spokesperson, Modestus Nwamkpa, who also doubles as the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Print Media, said Okorocha had not represented the district well at the Senate.
Nwamkpa said it was wrong for the former governor to launch a “campaign of calumny” against , Uzodinma, who is also from Orlu zone, which Okorocha represents at the Senate.
He said, “Now, the question is: why does OPOCA want to recall Okorocha? It is said that ‘he who obstructs the peace of the beehive should endure the pains of the bees’ stings.’
“Okorocha has actually crossed the red line. He has touched the tail of a sleeping tiger and the resultant effect is what he is currently facing.”
Nwamkpa said OPOCA was at the forefront of defending the interest of Orlu zone, saying “any Orlu man holding the position of Imo governorship must be protected at all costs. Orlu’s interest must come first.”
