Imo Elders Berate Okorocha, Urge Gov Uzodinma To Recover ‘Illegally Acquired Assets’

Concerned Imo Elders, Friday, berated Senator Rochas Okorocha for not following due process in his bid to reclaim the sealed Royal Springs Palm Estate, which belongs to his wife but was indicted by a panel of inquiry set up by Gov Hope Uzodinma’s administration.

The elders, in a release made available to THE WHISTLER, said the sealing of the property was in tandem with the recommendation of the panel of inquiry that looked into the matter, which was also gazetted by the state government.

The release, signed by HRM Eze (Dr) C.I. Illomuanya, Obi of Obinugwu; Chief Ralph Obioha, Rt Hon (Dr) Maxwell Duru, Prince Lemmy Akakem, and Chief (Sir) Simon Udunka, added that the former governor’s forceful entrance to the property is a proof that Okorocha was ‘severally associated with cases of disobedience to court orders and disregard to due process’. 

According to the release, “In the last couple of days, Imo has been in the news for the wrong reason, following an incident at the Royal Springs Palm Estate, behind the Owerri Greater Urban Water Scheme along Akachi road, Owerri, a property which was sealed off a few days earlier on the orders of the Imo State government, but which was later broken into by Senator Rochas Okorocha, who claims ownership of the estate. 

“The government’s action was in compliance with the recommendations of a judicial panel of enquiry which had investigated cases of illegal and improper acquisition of land by three previous administrations, that of Okorocha inclusive. The panel, which was set up under the Imo State Judicial Panel of Enquiry Law, received petitions from the general public and invited persons affected by the petitions, among whom were Senator Rochas Okorocha, even though the latter did appear before it. The panel concluded sitting and submitted its report and in line with the Imo State Law on Judicial Panel of Enquiries, the report was subsequently gazette.

“Senator Okorocha should have either approached the court for an order to quash the decision of the panel or seek a declaration restoring his title and, indeed, seek for damages against the government for trespass.”

Describing Sen Okorocha’s claims that the property in question was not seized by any court order, the elders said, “Senator Okorocha’s recent antics remind all of us of the aphorism that he who goes to equity must do so with clean hands. It is not a hidden matter that throughout his eight years as governor, Okorocha was severally associated with cases of disobedience to court orders and disregard to due process. The first step Okorocha took upon assumption of office in 2011 was to dismantle some lawfully constituted institutions of government at his whims. He dissolved the elected local government councils whose tenure still had more than one year ahead.

He terminated the appointments of 10,000 newly employed youths in the state civil service. He scraped the Imo Roads Maintenance Agency (IROMA) which was established by law during the previous administration and which had assets worth over N12bn. Governor Okorocha deposed a prominent traditional ruler in the state and refused to restate him even after a Supreme Court ruling to that effect.

“Towards the end of his regime in 2017, Okorocha demolished the famous Eke-Ukwu Owerri market in spite of an existing court order restraining the Imo State government from carrying out the demolition. By the time Okorocha left office in 2019, there were over 250 subsisting court cases between his administration and indigenes of the state, almost all bordering on unlawful and forceful takeover of property by the governor or his cronies.”

The elders said their reaction was also to forestall a recurrence to avert a possible anarchy in the state. They said, “If a fellow of Senator Okorocha’s status could afford to go with a hammer to begin to break the locks of a property lawfully sealed by government, lesser mortals may take a cue from there to resort to share brigandage. We do not believe that that is the type of example a fellow, whom the people once gave the privilege to preside over their affairs, should give to the younger more vulnerable ones.”
Justifying that the property in question violated the Owerri master plan, the concerned elders stated that, “Royal Spring Palm Estate is built on a green verge. The Owerri City Master Plan, drawn up by Fingerhurt & Partners of Switzerland, spelt out specifically that the area must not be built on and must remain green. [Out] of fourteen state chief executives–both military and civilian–Imo had between its inception in 1976 and 2011 when Okorocha emerged, thirteen religiously respected that provision in the master plan and the area remained untouched until 2013. We recall that in an open letter by a former governor of the state to Governor Okorocha, the former drew the latter’s attention to the dangers of violating the Owerri City Master Plan.
“It was, therefore, with the biggest surprise that Imolites woke up one morning to discover that Okorocha had allocated the delicate green verge to his family and massive structures standing on it. We are also aware that entreaties by professionals and well-meaning people on the contrary were rebuffed by Governor Okorocha. Besides that, the verge directly slopes into the Greater Owerri Water Scheme, with residential buildings and hotels located on the Royal Spring Palm Estate discharging effluents directly into Otamiri River, with obvious implications on the health of the people.”

The elders therefore condemned the action of Senator Okorocha for taking laws into his hands. According to them, “We condemn Senator Okorocha’s unlawful entry into the premises of Royal Spring Palm Estate already taken possession of by the Imo State government. We equally condemn Senator Okorocha’s action of personally leading unauthorized persons to break into the property.

“We completely disapprove of Senator Okorocha’s behaviour more so, at a time when security challenges, together with sundry issues of national concern, have made the country very susceptible to social unrest at the slightest provocation. We commend the state government and the Nigeria Police for ensuring that the matter did not escalate.”

They further declared their support for any legitimate means which the Uzodinma administration takes to restore the Owerri master plan. In their words, “As bona fide members of the Imo State society, we wish to state that we whole-heartedly support any legitimate and lawful moves taken by the state government to restore the Owerri City Master Plan and recover property or assets collectively owned by the people, but which were illegally appropriated by any individual or group.”

The elders further advised Sen Uzodinma to follow due process in his dealings to avoid the same fate on leaving office. According to them, “We wish to use this medium to equally enjoin Governor Hope Uzodimma that, while he has the backing and support of the generality of Imolites to recover every asset of the state that was unlawfully or fraudulently taken, he must also have his eyes on history. Tomorrow will also come after him. He must follow due process, consult extensively with those with institutional memory and work in concert with professionals who our dear state has in abundance. Given the sheer enormity of the rot, especially in the last ten years, much is expected of him, but to succeed, he must have his eyes always on the ball.”
  
They also cautioned against the influence of the social media in escalating the tension in the state. According to them, “We advise Nigerians in general and Imolites, in particular, to be wary of social media propaganda aimed at explaining away the actions of Senator Rochas Okorocha in the instant case. We would insist that the Imo State government observe due process in all its actions that have to do with restoring accountability in our society.”