Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Former Imo governor, Rochas Okorocha, has denied he diverted N6 billion accrued to the state Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC) as contained in a report published by a panel set up by Governor Emeka Ihedioha.
Okorocha, in a statement by his spokesman, Sam Onwuemeodo, denied being summoned by the panel for questioning. He also accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of crippling the agency before he assumed office.
“Again, not minding that Ihedioha’s government had written 32 petitions to EFCC and 15 petitions to ICPC against Okorocha and the family, the questionable panel on ISOPADEC was just a smokescreen because a serious panel would have invited the former governor or any of the former Chairmen or Managing Directors of the Commission under Okorocha for questioning or fact-finding. But the panel never did that because it was only packaged for blackmail.
“For 12 years, PDP governed Imo and ran ISOPADEC aground. The PDP government did nothing for the oil producing areas of Ohaji, Egbema and Oguta. It ran ISOPADEC from a rented three bed-room apartment close to Winners Chapel Owerri, without electricity and water.
It was like a bar parlour, militancy was the order of the day with the people deserting their areas. But Okorocha came and built a multi-billion naira edifice in a choice area in Owerri as headquarters of ISOPADEC, built the Marine University at Ossemotor in Oguta which was nearing completion, stopped militancy and rehabilitated the militants through empowerment programmes, carried out multi-million naira empowerments for the youths and women of the areas, built Schools and hospitals for them.