Imo Guber: Creator Of Audio Linking Ohakim To $1m Bribe To Face Prosecution

Dr Ikedi Ohakim, former governor of Imo State, says the mastermind of a trending audio alleging that he hosted a meeting where Labour Party guber candidate for the forthcoming guber election in the state, Senator Attan Achonu, was bribed with $1m in order not to ‘strongly’ challenge incumbent Gov Hope Uzodinma’s re-election is ‘criminally defamatory’.

Ohakim expressed his reaction to the audio via his verified Twitter handle. He said the perpetrator of the defamation was ‘known’, adding that prompt steps would be taken to bring the person to book.

Dr Ohakim tweeted, “My attention has been drawn to a viral audio claiming that HE, Gov Hope Uzodimma used me as a conduit to disburse $1m to Sen Athan Achonu, the LP guber nominee.

“This audio is false & criminally defamatory & I’m taking prompt steps to bring the known creator to book.”

In the audio, the voice alleged that he was with Senator Achonu when he (Achonu) demanded where a certain meeting was to be held with Dr Ohakim.

The voice, which spoke in Igbo, said, “Attan called Ohakim, and asked where the meeting would hold, and Ohakim said it was in his house. Ohakim asked Attan to ask anyone to bring him to his house. I did personally take Attan to Ohakim’s house.

“When I got to Ohakim’s house, I had thought it was just a brotherly meeting between him and Ohakim. But when I got there, I saw Ilomanya, Ojindu, Osita Nwaneri, Ambrose Ejiogu, Maxwell Duru.

“I now asked within me if Achonu isn’t Labour. How come he was attending elders’ council meeting of the All Progressives Congress? The organising secretary of Labour was with us. We were discussing in the car when we were going back, because Achonu had joined the meeting.”

The male voice claimed that the LP candidate later joined them at a location in company of a stalwart of APC. The APC chieftain, according to the voice, told the claimant in confidence that Achonu was invited to the meeting to be influenced not to oppose the re-election bid of Gov Uzodinma.

Quoting him, “The stalwart told me that the APC elders’ council invited Achonu so that he won’t contest against Hope.”

The voice alleged that after the LP guber primary, he was informed that the meeting Achonu held with the APC elders was where he signed a bond not to run against Gov Uzodinma, after which he, Achonu, ‘collected $1m from them on oath’.

The source alleged that his claims were justified because the LP candidate ‘had no money of late, but was throwing money around during the primary of LP in the state’.