Governors Okorocha, Obiano step up attacks in war of words

The spat between Governors Rochas Okorocha and Willy Obiano of Imo and Anambra States respectively have continued with the former alleging that the later has not brought any improvement to the state he inherited from Peter Obi .

Mr. Okorocha, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, accused Mr. Obiano of not having any meaningful project to boast of three years into his administration.

Mr. Okorocha was reacting to Mr. Obiano’s second statement that the Imo governor has a questionable past.

Describing his Anambra counterpart as a noisemaker, Mr. Okorocha said that contrary to Mr. Obiano’s claims, he has paid salaries and gratuities to all Imo workers and pensioners up to December 2016.

“For the second time in forty-eight hours, Governor Willie Obiano had engaged in an unwarranted and unprovoked media attacks against Governor Rochas Okorocha.”

“The first attack was when he took on the Imo Governor unprovoked, over his claim that two governors in the South-East would soon join APC. Obiano said the Imo Governor was not what a good leader should be.

“To us in Imo, we saw that statement as callous especially when it was from a governor. And we had no option than to react to it to prove that such careless statement was uncalled for.

“We then Challenged Obiano to publish his achievements in Anambra State for four years and let Okorocha publish his own achievements in Imo for five years since leadership is all about service to God and service to humanity”.

“And instead of doing that, Governor Obiano used the opportunity he would have appropriated to display his achievements in Anambra if any, to call Governor Okorocha names, which is neither here nor there. We still maintain our Challenge on Governor Obiano to publish his achievements as governor in Anambra and let Okorocha also do the same.” The Imo governor said.

Mr. Okorocha, elected on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC), said he had never lived abroad all his life, neither had he been involved in corruption.

He said unlike Mr. Obiano was installed by some godfathers in Anambra, while he was a self-made governor who defeated an incumbent governor by leveraging on his popularity and goodwill built up over the years.

“Obiano is a governor. Okorocha is a governor. Let them begin the contest by publishing their achievements in their respective States for Nigerians to see. It is not a noise-making venture or name-calling enterprise”

“Anambra State has remained as Obiano met it. Awka the State Capital has remained as Obiano met it. Government House Awaka has remained like that. Let him prove us wrong,” he wrote.

Responding, Governor Obiano said he did not have time to engage in such public debate with Mr. Okorocha.

The governor in yet another release by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Strategic Communications and Legislative Matters, Oliver Okpala, said the governor had no time to respond to politically motivated distractions.

“His top priority now is making life more meaningful for Ndi Anambra not minding the current economic recession in the country. That he has been doing trenchantly and would continue to champion,” the statement read.