Okorocha challenges Ihedioha to provide evidence that his wife took 67 government vehicles away

SENATOR Rochas Okorocha has denied accusations by his predecessor Governor Emeka Ihedioha that his wife took away 67 cars belonging to the Imo State government when he left office on May 29.

Earlier this week, Governor Ihedioha, who took over from Senator Okorocha as Imo State governor. claimed that his predecessor carted away a lot of government property when he left office. A committee set up by Governor Emeka Ihedioha to recover movable government assets looted by the appointees of the immediate past administration, claimed that Mrs Okorocha was in possession of a fleet of vehicles.

However, Sam Onwuemeodo, Senator Okorocha's spokesman, said that the ex-governor was being blackmailed. He urged Nigerians to ignore the state officials until they publish what they had claimed, since the burden or the yoke of proof is always on the neck of the accuser.

Mr Sam Onwuemeodo said: “We challenge Governor Emeka Ihedioha and his appointees to publish the list and particulars of these 67 vehicles and the details of the N50bn the former governor and the wife made away with vis-à-vis other items thereto. We give them seven days to do the publication or bend their heads downward in shame.

“We also challenge them to publish the properties the former appointees left, either as a group or as individuals. The burden to publish evidence of all these claims is now on Governor Ihedioha and his appointees.

“We equally want to ask that they harmonise their claims because almost all the key appointees of the WhatsApp and Facebook government in the state have made their diverse claims on these issues to the extent that nobody knows who among them should be believed. They should harmonise their claims before the publication.

“The governor himself had made his own claim talking about cars and N70bn taken away. The chief of staff of the governor had equally claimed that the former governor left with 31 vehicles and about N40bn.”