THE Imo State All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Senator Hope Uzodinma has countered Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha’s claim that the state was debt-free.

Uzodinma alleged that the state was owing banks over N12 billion.

Okorocha had on Tuesday, said that he never borrowed any bank to run his government and that he was not in any way, indebted to any bank.

Addressing a cross-section of journalists on Thursday in Owerri, the capital of the state, the APC candidate stated that the debts owed the banks had forced the government to be diverting the monies accruable to the state from all sources, including the federal allocation.

Uzodinma however, explained that it was verifiable that all the local government funds and statutory allocations were illegally paid into a private account. “This is to avoid banks that are being owed by the state government from recovering their monies”, he alleged.

He further pointed out that the first bailout fund to the state at the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari meant for the payment of pensioners and workers in the state was not properly utilized as pensioners were still owed, and workers paid 70 per cent of their monthly salaries.

According to him, any party that produced the next governor of the state in the coming general elections would face problems created by the outgoing government of Okorocha.

Fielding questions, Uzodinma noted that his present highest achievement was stopping Rochas in his bid to give the APC ticket to his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu.

He said, “My greatest achievement to the people is stopping Governor Okorocha’s son-in-law from having his way as the governorship candidate of APC in Imo state”. – Punch

– Feb. 7, 2019 @ 14:55 GMT |