In a quick reaction to a recent attack and vituperations on Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the former Imo state governor now Senator representing Imo West in the National Assembly, Chief Rochas Okorocha has faulted the actions of his aide and pointing out that he Okorocha and Abaribe are beloved brothers who are well pleased with each other and that they should be seen and treated as leaders and illustrious sons of Igboland who are major stake holders in nation building.
In a statement issued in Owerri and made available to the media through the Special Adviser (Media) to the Senator, Sam Onwuemeodo, the former governor tried to correct some negative impressions created by his aides.
He said, “we had read what one, Mr. FCC Jones Onwuasoanya wrote about His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, in which, for reasons best known to him, he described the Senator as “A Yahoo-Yahoo Politician”. That was on Wednesday, June 23, 2021.
“Later, the same day, one Ndubuisi Ugochukwu, an aide to Senator Abaribe, wrote in response to Mr. Onwuasoanya’s piece. In doing that, Dr. Ugochukwu threw caution to the wind and heavily abused Senator Rochas Okorocha, on the assumed premise that, Mr. Onwuasoanya had written on behalf of Senator Okorocha. And that is the crux of our reaction.
As the then governor of Imo State, Okorocha had one Sam Onwuemeodo, and indeed, the writer of this press release, as his Chief Press Secretary. And as Senator, this Sam Onwuemeodo has remained his Special Adviser on Media. In other words, Mr. Onwuasoanya has never been and still not, the media aide or the spokesman of Senator Okorocha. That is to say, he must have written on Senator Abaribe as an individual.”
“Unfortunately, Dr. Ugochukwu never tried to find out whether Okorocha has any media aide called Onwuasoanya, before abusing Okorocha, to the best of his ability. And before now, Mr. Onwuasoanya, I recall, had publicly stated that, he was not Okorocha’s media aide. And that was also when another group, had also mistaken his write-up sometime ago, to be the position of Okorocha. The truth is that, Onwuasoanya is not an aide to Okorocha.
It was therefore wrong, for anybody, or Dr. Ugochukwu, to arrogate or shift Onwuasoanya’s essay or view on Senator Abaribe or any other issue or person, to Okorocha. Okorocha’s spokesman is Sam Onwuemeodo. Yours Sincerely.
And for all the abuses or insults Dr. Ugochukwu heaped on Okorocha, we have swallowed or stomached them in good faith. Okorocha is used to such unwarranted and unprovoked abuses or insults. We won’t follow that bad example. And we have our reasons.
Both Okorocha and Abaribe are great and proud sons of Igboland. They are brothers. And it will be foolhardy for an impression to be created that they are quarreling. They cannot quarrel. They are not expected to abuse themselves in public for any reason.
Okorocha was governor in Imo State. Alaribe was Deputy Governor in Abia. Alaribe has been in the Senate. Okorocha is equally in the Senate. In other words, they are patriotic and valuable sons of Igboland. They are expected to be calling themselves “Nwanne or Nwannaa”, on the floor of the Senate. Okorocha cannot therefore, for any reason, describe Senator Abaribe as “Yahoo-Yahoo” Politician.
Okorocha has been long in the Nigeria Project, vis-à-vis, Senator Abaribe. They are major Stakeholders in Nation-building. Okorocha is of APC. Abaribe is of the PDP. That is not an issue. The issue is that, they are brothers.
Also, Okorocha, long before his governorship in Imo and now Senator, has been a notable figure in the nation’s life. And most Nigerians know that, Okorocha has never been the kind of person that abuses people, whether big or small. He does not have the language of abuse or insult. He does not have the culture of quarrel. That is why; he can turn a crisis ridden situation, into a celebration galore. He so much believes in the Principle of Conviviality.
Hence, for the eight years he was governor, Imo State was diametrically peaceful. Happiness was the watch word, that, he went ahead to create the Ministry of Happiness, to make happiness, a habit for Imo people, in lieu of rancor and bitterness. During his governorship, it was difficult to differentiate between night and day, in Imo, because night life became a norm. Okorocha is a man of peace.
We regret this false impression already created that two brothers, Okorocha and Abaribe, had media altercations. That’s not the case and will never be the case. We reject the false impression. And it remains rejected.”
