I won’t Join Issues With Ohakim – Okorocha

Imo State governor,
Rochas Okorocha yesterday said he would not join issues with the immediate past governor of the state, chief Ikedi Ohakim over his persistent media attacks on his person and administration.
Even though he saw the call by Ohakim for a debate as premature, the governor expressed willingness to attend at the appropriate time as was the case in 2011 for all governorship aspirants in the state.
In a press statement signed by Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, Senior Special Assistant (Media), to the Imo State Governor, the governor stated that as a responsible government with high premium for decency, he would not react to Chief Ohakim’s attacks with the feeling that as a former governor, he would have taken cognisance of that whenever he wants to talk about his successor.
According to him, the former governor should have respect for the office he once occupied for four years.
The statement read in part: “As a responsible government with high premium for decency, we had skipped reacting to Chief Ohakim’s attacks with the feeling that, as a former governor, he would have taken cognisance of that whenever he wants to talk about his successor. He talks without exhibiting any iota of respect for the office he once occupied for four years.
“We make reference to two of his most recent media attacks on Governor Okorocha.  On Friday, September 12, 2014, he had two pages interview with the Daily Sun.  And from the beginning of the interview to the last paragraph, Governor Okorocha was the subject matter.  In the same interview, he finally claimed that he was the only one who could defeat Governor Okorocha in 2015.
“On Monday, September 15, 2014, the former governor continued his media attacks on his successor, and ended up challenging the governor to a debate.
“He said he is the only one who can defeat Okorocha in 2015.  We don’t bother ourselves about such claim.  If his party, the PDP believes he is the only one who can defeat Okorocha in 2015, let them give him the ticket, and we will live to see how it goes.”
Onwuemeodo said the former governor had talked much about his projects, which he alleged had been abandoned by the current administration.
“The truth of the matter is that Chief Ohakim served Imo people for four years as governor to the best of his ability and Rochas Okorocha is also doing so, to the best of his ability.  And it is not for Ohakim and Okorocha to begin to score themselves.  Only Imo people and Nigerians of goodwill can do that to make it creditable.”