Can Rochas Be Trused to be Governor of Imo? – By Cajetan Dike

Posted by admin Articles, Cajetan Dike, Columnists, Imo, NNP Columnists Thursday, April 21st, 2011

By Cajetan Dike, NNP – April 21, 2011 – Following the violence visited on Imo State fortnight ago by Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha, the APGA governorship candidate, there are fears that the pseudo philanthropist might after all not be the messiah Imo people have been waiting for. Apart from his proclivity towards violence and bare faced deceit, revelations have come tumbling in that Rochas ought to have been disqualified from contesting the election based on certificate forgery and misconduct as a public officer during his brief tenure as chairman of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) during the regime of President Olusegun Obasanjo .

Those who were unaware of Rochas penchant for violence were jolted last month when his supporters unleashed mayhem on Nigerian Horn Newspapers. The newspaper had published a news-story that Rochas was a member of Ogboni secret society. They quoted their sources and even spoke with Rochas’ men. Yet the APGA chieftain could not hold himself and his supporters. By the time his thugs left the premises of Horn, destruction, desolation and near death reigned supreme.

Can a man with such temperament be entrusted with enormous powers of a governor? Would he not have ordered the execution of the management of Horn? But more was to come. Just last week, Rochas out of frustration for not securing a venue for a hurried rally, took laws into his hands and barricaded four major roads in Owerri including the one leading to Government House. He instigated his supporters to attack the convoy of Governor Ohakim who was with former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo .

That level of security breach has never been witnessed in Imo State . To realize his vaulting ambition, Rochas dared the authorities. One wonders why somebody who aspires to be governor does not have respect for that office! But that is Rochas for you.

While those who have the duty to tackle that foolhardy action of Rochas get down to their job, information filtering into Imo State suggest that INEC ought to have disqualified Rochas as it did in 1999. The reason is simple. Okorocha was sent out of University of Jos for entering into the institution to study law with a forged certificate. He was among 30 students who were disgraced through the public display of their names.

Indeed, after losing the 1999 governorship primaries to Achike Udenwa in 1999 and after his futile attempt to use Solomon Lar to become PDP candidate, Rochas quickly grabbed the ticket of senate for Orlu zone. As soon as he was nominated, Arthur Nzeribe started a grand celebration as the APP candidate. Nzeribe simply dusted the letter expelling Rochas from UNIJOS and presented it to INEC which did not waste time in disqualifying him from the senate race . That was the end of the matter.

It is not yet established the certificate with which Rochas is currently vying for the governorship, but the fact that he was indicted and rusticated for certificate forgery should make Imo people to look at him twice. This is also coming on the heels of disclosures on how Rochas was humiliated out of office as Chairman of Nigerian Airspace management Agency (NAMA) during the regime of President Obasanjo . His was the shortest tenure as the chairman of a federal government’s agency in the history of Nigeria . There were allegations of contracts being awarded to Rochas’ company at highly inflated rates. He abused his office. He was on the verge of being arraigned in a tribunal before the then Minister, Kemafor Chikwe intervened and he was left off the hook.

While Rochas was expected to lie low, he soon began his political gamble claiming and pretending that he was running for president of Nigeria . The party he founded, Action Alliance became one huge conduct pipe where aspirants were fleeced. What came out of it was nothing. Actually, nothing because at the very last minute, Rochas jumped back to PDP.

He was offered another chance through his appointment as a Special Adviser to the president. Up till today, Rochas has not told us why the president sacked him again. But what is glaring is that he was not sacked for competence and probity! Now the man who claims to be very close to President Goodluck Jonathan has jumped sheep again. He went into APGA and through sheer violence and questionable wealth, muscled himself to grab the governorship ticket. As a man who ran for the governorship under Orlu zone which eventually ruled for eight years, Rochas now wants to truncate zoning in Imo State.

He knows that it is the turn of Okigwe to be governor till 2015, yet Rochas wants to disrupt the system so that crisis will become the lot of the state. He is now saying that if Jonathan should be president outside zoning that himself will also be governor outside zoning. In any case he has told Imo people that he is too big to be governor. According to him, he ought to be president but condescended to be governor to rescue Imo. What arrogance!

The truth of the matter is that Rochas is an outsider in Imo. He is an helicopter politician. He believes in sham populism and revels in rented crowd. He has no structure on ground. Let him name notable three Imo leaders who are supporting his candidature. All have disowned him because he is bent on turning Imo State to Jos North where he lives and where violence reigns supreme.

Even the so-called free education he is promising Imo people is utopian. He is economical with the truth because he knows that even ROCHAS FOUNDATION is funded with foreign donations and not his money. If an established and reputable accounting firm is appointed to audit the foundation, Rochas may probably be in prison. But let him allow his conscience to judge him.

What Imo people should judge and take a decision now is whether Rochas can be trusted to be governor after he was rusticated for certificate forgery, disqualified by INEC for the same offence and sacked by the federal government for contract scan.
ENDwith Rochas’ men. Yet the APGA chieftain could not hold himself and his supporters. By the time his thugs left the premises of Horn, destruction, desolation and near death reigned supreme.

Can a man with such temperament be entrusted with enormous powers of a governor? Would he not have ordered the execution of the management of Horn? But more was to come. Just last week, Rochas out of frustration for not securing a venue for a hurried rally, took laws into his hands and barricaded four major roads in Owerri including the one leading to Government House. He instigated his supporters to attack the convoy of Governor Ohakim who was with former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo .

That level of security breach has never been witnessed in Imo State . To realize his vaulting ambition, Rochas dared the authorities. One wonders why somebody who aspires to be governor does not have respect for that office! But that is Rochas for you.

While those who have the duty to tackle that foolhardy action of Rochas get down to their job, information filtering into Imo State suggest that INEC ought to have disqualified Rochas as it did in 1999. The reason is simple. Okorocha was sent out of University of Jos for entering into the institution to study law with a forged certificate. He was among 30 students who were disgraced through the public display of their names.

Indeed, after losing the 1999 governorship primaries to Achike Udenwa in 1999 and after his futile attempt to use Solomon Lar to become PDP candidate, Rochas quickly grabbed the ticket of senate for Orlu zone. As soon as he was nominated, Arthur Nzeribe started a grand celebration as the APP candidate. Nzeribe simply dusted the letter expelling Rochas from UNIJOS and presented it to INEC which did not waste time in disqualifying him from the senate race . That was the end of the matter.

It is not yet established the certificate with which Rochas is currently vying for the governorship, but the fact that he was indicted and rusticated for certificate forgery should make Imo people to look at him twice. This is also coming on the heels of disclosures on how Rochas was humiliated out of office as Chairman of Nigerian Airspace management Agency (NAMA) during the regime of President Obasanjo . His was the shortest tenure as the chairman of a federal government’s agency in the history of Nigeria . There were allegations of contracts being awarded to Rochas’ company at highly inflated rates. He abused his office. He was on the verge of being arraigned in a tribunal before the then Minister, Kemafor Chikwe intervened and he was left off the hook.

While Rochas was expected to lie low, he soon began his political gamble claiming and pretending that he was running for president of Nigeria . The party he founded, Action Alliance became one huge conduct pipe where aspirants were fleeced. What came out of it was nothing. Actually, nothing because at the very last minute, Rochas jumped back to PDP.

He was offered another chance through his appointment as a Special Adviser to the president. Up till today, Rochas has not told us why the president sacked him again. But what is glaring is that he was not sacked for competence and probity! Now the man who claims to be very close to President Goodluck Jonathan has jumped sheep again. He went into APGA and through sheer violence and questionable wealth, muscled himself to grab the governorship ticket. As a man who ran for the governorship under Orlu zone which eventually ruled for eight years, Rochas now wants to truncate zoning in Imo State.

He knows that it is the turn of Okigwe to be governor till 2015, yet Rochas wants to disrupt the system so that crisis will become the lot of the state. He is now saying that if Jonathan should be president outside zoning that himself will also be governor outside zoning. In any case he has told Imo people that he is too big to be governor. According to him, he ought to be president but condescended to be governor to rescue Imo. What arrogance!

The truth of the matter is that Rochas is an outsider in Imo. He is an helicopter politician. He believes in sham populism and revels in rented crowd. He has no structure on ground. Let him name notable three Imo leaders who are supporting his candidature. All have disowned him because he is bent on turning Imo State to Jos North where he lives and where violence reigns supreme.

Even the so-called free education he is promising Imo people is utopian. He is economical with the truth because he knows that even ROCHAS FOUNDATION is funded with foreign donations and not his money. If an established and reputable accounting firm is appointed to audit the foundation, Rochas may probably be in prison. But let him allow his conscience to judge him.

What Imo people should judge and take a decision now is whether Rochas can be trusted to be governor after he was rusticated for certificate forgery, disqualified by INEC for the same offence and sacked by the federal government for contract scan.wp_posts