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| Douglas road, Owerri |
Though Ohakim congratulated the APGA candidate on his victory, the governor on the other hand is hatching plans apparently designed to make things difficult for a hitch free hand-over and smooth take-off of the incoming government with unrealistic policies and frivolous approvals.
Contrary to the claim by the present government that it has been unable to pay salaries due to the freezing of the State accounts by the incoming administration, investigations revealed that the state account is rather in red.
Even as the federal government instructed that state government accounts be defreezed to enable outgoing governments carry out their final activities and transactions until May 29, the accounts of the Imo state government were rather discovered to be empty.
This development may not be unconnected to the alleged financial recklessness of Ohakim during the gubernatorial elections where billions of naira was wasted in buying voters. The desperation exhibited by the outgoing governor towards retaining his plum job obviously caused financial draught in the state treasury that has equally halted government actions.
Further investigation also revealed that payment of salaries and pensions are not in the priority list of the outgoing government as it has rather decided to pay for contracts through which it will fleece the State of the remaining cash to settle cronies and PDP henchmen who may lead Ohakim to the gallows if not settled.
Ohakim who is now facing the challenge of his life due to his defeat and subsequent humiliation by Imo people for taking them for a ride since 2007 he became governor is said to have been besieged by his supposedly trusted men that had told him to his face that he is a big failure and disappointment to the people of Okigwe zone. They are insisting that Ohakim settles them even if it means borrowing as he had sought while running his elections.
While Ohakim is busy hatching evil plans to bring Okorocha's incoming government into collision with the people of imo state, some prominent Imo citizens are gathering their facts to ensure that the outgoing governor account for his stewardship. They had listed the governor's unpardonable sins, which might take him to jail after handing over on May 29.
Investigations revealed that the outgoing governor has embarked on massive allocation of land to his cronies and allies as well as issuing them with C of O without following due process. Massive looting of government properties by the governor and his aides had equally begun especially the newly purchased vehicles. Government has virtually become empty as one could hardly see government cars with official registration plate number. Most of these vehicles had been looted and confined to undisclosed locations as government officials now goes with their private cars.
Other antics employed by the outgoing governor include recruitment of youth numbering about ten thousand in the state civil service, approval of free education from primary to tertiary level and free healthcare for all Imo citizens. What he never dreamt of doing, he has approved for the incoming governor. Ironically, Ohakim in his campaign had told Imo people that free education at primary and secondary levels are not realizable in the state. His insensitivity on education equally manifested when he returned 44 schools to the missionaries. This particular action has not only portrayed the governor as an unrepentant fellow but has further ridiculed him before the people of the state. The knock so far received over the action has equally reduced his much battered personality.
Meanwhile, of about two thousand previously employed, only about ten percent of them have received salaries and yet he is over-bloating the civil service by employing more for Okorocha. It is rather in a bid to create a distasteful relationship between the governor and the people as most of these newly employed persons may be laid off.
Not yet done, the outgoing governor is said to have embarked on a massive promotion of workers without any input from the State Civil Service Commission. This has largely created a heavy financial burden for the incoming governor. While other buoyant governments are still crying over how to meet up with the minimum wage, Ohakim has also approved the payment of N18, 000 minimum wage. What it means is that the incoming governor will only pay salaries if that is allowed to stand.
The latest of its ploy to achieve its devastating goal, Ohakim has allegedly begun its usual threat to the lives of those who are averse to their devilish activities. Among those threatened are members of the civil service and other politicians in the PDP fold who have raised an eye brow over his ploy to heat up the system. Some of the APGA chieftains are not left out due to their insistence that right things be done especially their stand that proper accountability be done for a smooth transition.
Apparently to leave no trace of some government transactions carried out by Ohakim and his brother Emma Ohakim who is also his chief of staff, the outgoing governor has resorted to burning down government house and other strategic quarters to justify the removal of those documents that may nail him. Attempts to burn the government house has thickened even as some efforts had failed. A government house source disclosed that a particular gang led by the outgoing governor's kinsmen had been contracted to execute this mission before May 27.
Similarly, the outgoing governor had redeployed all the staff of Secret Registry. Since government all over the world remains a continuum; one wonders why Ohakim decided to post out these staff of a sensitive department immediately he lost re-election. It was also gathered that before new ones were posted, the outgoing governor's wife with some close allies of the governor had removed all the sensitive documents.
Meanwhile, a section of Imo people had cautioned the outgoing governor against frustrating Okorocha's incoming government.
A human right lawyer, Barr. Uche Wisdom Durueke said that it was rather unfortunate that the outgoing governor had continued to embark on actions that have deepened the hatred Imo people have on him.
He said that he had expected Ohakim to change his approach on issues that have to do with Imo people rather than planting landmines for the incoming government.
A chieftain of APGA in the state, Chief Chris Ejike Uche, however maintained that Ohakim's antics cannot stop Okorocha from offering governance to the people of Imo state. Uche, who is the National Deputy Chairman of APGA, said he had expected Ohakim to apologize to the people of imo state over his misrule which inflicted suffering on the faces of the people.
But the commissioner for Information in the state, Nze Elvis Agukwe told our correspondent that Ohakim has no intention of frustrating Okorocha's government as speculated in some quarters.
He expressed that the outgoing government is only laying a foundation for the smooth take-off the incoming government by initiating policies that were already contained in Okorocha's manifesto.
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