Okorocha’s aide accuses Imo govt of plot to demolish his Owerri property

Sam Onwuemeodo, a Special Adviser on Media to a former governor of Imo state, Senator Rochas Okorocha, has cried out that his building in Owerri has been marked for demolition by officials of the state government.

Onwuemeodo, who spoke with newsmen in Owerri on Thursday, said the current administration of Governor Hope Uzodinma was “politically victimising him”.

He maintained that the only reason his house was marked for demolition was because he was politically associated with Sen Okorocha, noting that the state officials were yet to tell him why his house was marked for demolition.

His words: “On Friday, March 19, 2021, someone called and told me to be very careful, that the government has decided to demolish my house. That by Tuesday, March 23, 2021, my house would be marked for demolition. And to avoid making it look personal, they would also mark other houses around my own.

“Following this information, on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, I decided not to leave the house early. By 11.22 am, two Hummer buses with tinted glasses came and parked in front of my gate. I decided only to watch them. The two buses were filled with young men I wouldn’t like to describe as thugs and about six hefty men in Mobile Police uniform, fully armed.”

Read also: Imo govt revokes 49 plots of land linked to Okorocha’s elder sister

Speaking further, Onwuemeodo said he applied for the piece of land in 2011 when Okorocha became the governor, while the land was approved for him in 2013, noting that he paid all the necessary fees and had his receipts intact.

He maintained that the land was not donated or given to him for free, but was approved and allocated to him by the Ministry of Lands, as a bonafide citizen of the state.

“I got the allocation and paid the needed or demanded fees. I have been living in the house with my family. Let the governor or his government, tell the world why he wants to demolish my house. But if it is because of my working relationship with Okorocha, they have lost it entirely,” he added.

Meanwhile, responding to Onwuemeodo’s claims, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Oguwike Nwachuku, said, “This government is not interested in any political vendetta and has never been after anybody. On the contrary, the government will protect every citizen of the state who does the right thing in line with the rule of law.

“Those who deliberately build at places in violation of the Owerri master plan should not expect government to protect them or the people to clap for them.”

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