By Our Reporter
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State, Uche Onyeagocha has said Governor Rochas Okorocha is emasculating the party for selfish interest.
Onyeagocha, a lawyer and well known civil right crusader also accused Okorocha of being dictatorial, despotic and deceitful, stressing that of late such tendencies have been taken to ridiculous level to accommodate the selfish interest of the governor which is to foist his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, on the state as his successor. Nwosu is currently Okorocha’s Chief of Staff and is married to his first daughter.
To further demonstrate his disdain for the character traits exhibited by the governor, Onyeagocha has therefore resigned his appointment into the State Development Council representing Obinze Ward in Owerri West which Okorocha appointed him into. He did in a letter of resignation he wrote on May 18 and sent to the office of the Governor which went viral on Thursday.
Onyeagocha, said he wants to join forces with like-minded APC members to stop Okorocha from going ahead to deceive Imo people and even the party.
Onyeagocha noted that his appointment into the Council was designed by Okorocha to get members who will fill fictitious forms with the office of the Chief of Staff where patronage would be dispensed as though Nwosu was doing the beneficiaries a favour but which ultimately would translate to endorsement of his governorship aspirantion as planned by Okorocha.
He regretted that Okorocha has not dealt kindly with Imo pensioners, saying every suggestion given to him on how to do things differently in the interest of the state and the people was rebuffed.
“I am compelled to join forces with well-meaning and egalitarian APC leaders to rescue APC in Imo State and thesState itself from you,” Onyeagocha wrote.
Onyeagocha’s full letter reads:
OPEN LETTER TO GOV. ROCHAS OKOROCHA
His Excellency Owelle Rochas Okorocha (OON)
Executive Governor Of Imo State
Government House Complex
Owerri
LETTER OF RESIGNATION AS STATE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (SDC) MEMBER PURPORTEDLY REPRESENTING OBINZE WARD, OWERRI WEST
I hereby write to resign my membership of the State Development Council (SDC) which appointment I was not offered to accept or reject from the outset.
The reasons for my resignation are expressed below in as plain and simple language as possible to dispel every risk of ambiguity. Ordinarily, communications such as this are made through memos, but since it is common knowledge that you do not read such ‘irksome’ literature, I therefore chose to use this unconventional medium in the hope that your attention will be drawn to it one way or another. My reasons for resignation are as follows:
- Your selection of 305 persons (one per Ward) as SDC members is a mere political arrangement in your desperate attempt to foist Uche Nwosu, your son-in-law, as the next governor of Imo State come 2019 despite the fact that he is from the same zone as yourself and Chief Achike Udenwa.
- You have used SDC members to mobilize our people to fill out fictitious empowerment and other forms through the office of your son-in-law as a way to garner admiration and make the masses see him as dispenser of State favour.
- I am no longer able to allow myself to be used as an instrument against Imo State workers and pensioners. I oppose your current plan to extort Imo pensioners of 50% of their pension rights having previously extorted them of 30% of their pensions and other workers salaries. A state that is incapable of paying her pensioners and other workers, her Governor should not be moving around in private jet.
- I am no longer submitting myself to be used as an instrument to emasculate the State Civil Service which structure you have deliberately distorted and almost completely destroyed.
- Having fought against oppression and arbitrariness all my life as a Civil Rights activist, I’ve long observed that your administration has brazenly drifted towards dictatorship and despotism. Every effort to advice you in the contrary have failed. I am left with no option than to join forces with other progressive minds to stand up against your dictatorial tendencies.
- You have deliberately underfunded and emasculated our great party (APC) at every level. This is pronounced in the fact that no single branch of our Party in Imo State has a bus. Party offices of Wards & LGAs have been ceased by their landlords because you have refused to assist them to pay rents. Our Party State Headquaters is only but a shadow of what the State Office of a governing Party should be. All appeal to you on these matters has failed, making us to doubt your loyalty and support for APC which delivered you as Governor of Imo State.
- You have impoverished all your political appointees who ought to be making contributions to fund and support our great Party. Precisely, your commissioners, advisers, assistants and Transition Committee Chairmen – past and present – have been paid peanuts that turned them to beggars rather than benefactors to our great Party. The situation today is so bad that every of your appointee who had been relieved of their appointments have turned into an enemy rather than asset to the Party.
- Your deception and continued refusal to conduct LGA elections after 6 long years have further worsened the development and growth of the Party and the LGAs. I challenge you to honor your word for once by conducting LGA elections in Imo State in September 2017.
- The State has suffered so much from your lack of planning and hatred for due process in the affairs of government.
Finally, I am compelled to join forces with well-meaning and egalitarian APC leaders to rescue APC in Imo State and the State itself from you.
Sincerely,
Uche Onyeagucha Esq.
APC Member, Obinze Ward, Owerri West LGA
18th May 2017