Was it wrong to encourage my family to invest in Imo rather than abroad, asks Okorocha

Stepping out of a meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Governor of Imo State and embattled Senator, Rochas Okorocha, has sought to know if allowing his family to invest in Imo State, rather than abroad, is a sin.

Recall that some Imo indigenes and the government allege the building developments credited to the immediate former Governor and his family members are allegedly proceeds of corruption; and some of the structures did not follow due procedure before they were put up.

But Okorocha asked reporters on Wednesday:

“The question is ‘what wrong has Rochas done?’ Have I done any wrong bringing APC to the south-east? And when I built APC, none of these people were there. They were all in PDP,” he said.

“Was it wrong that I encouraged my family to invest in their state, rather than investing abroad? I asked nothing of the government. I simply wanted to live my free life. But it is for he that accuses to prove.

“What preoccupies my mind is to make sure that we don’t create tension in the state, because already this country has a lot of insecurity. And police that ought to be busy doing something else should not be busy going to guide the sealing of a property with a white paper stronger than court judgment.

“Can a governor use a white paper to execute a judgment? Can you be a judge in your own case? These are the questions begging for answers, and why the use of thugs to attack your immediate predecessor and a senator of the federal republic?

“What are you trying to achieve? Now that you have arrested him, or forced him to police station with thugs, what have you achieved? What is the case against him? Nothing.

“That is why I described it as a very unusual situation. I think it is a script that is playing out, and this script has been for too long.

“I am still waiting to understand the reason why all the attack because before, the allegation was that the money used in building was government money,” Okorocha said.

“Now it has changed; it is no longer the issue of government money, but that it is built on the green verge and allocation where government house was supposed to be built. I am still waiting and only time will tell.

“But let it be known that I was Rochas Okorocha before governor, and I am still Rochas Okorocha after governor. Government House never made me. I was who I was before becoming governor. Rather, I would say that becoming governor was a sacrifice on my own part.

“But talking about the properties in question — the schools, the East High College, Rochas Foundation College, the Royal Spring Palm Hotel and the university — these outfits are all charitable outfits for the Rochas Foundation. And I brought them back home as a sign of investment to encourage investment in my own state, where I come from.

“So, the allegation that it is built on the green verge or built where Government House was supposed to be built is neither here nor there. It is rather trying to make excuses to carry out an already planned attack.”