By Mohammed Oluwatimileyin Taoheed
The Senator representing Imo West Senatorial Zone, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, alleged that Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has been auctioning his personal cars, those of his aides and Rochas Foundation College.
Okorocha said the vehicles were impounded when his wife’s Royal Palm Hotel was sealed by the state government in 2021, the TrackNews Nigeria has learnt.
He urged the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Usman, to direct the Imo State Police Commissioner, Mohammed Barde, to recover the vehicles and documents in them.
However, the state government denied Okorocha’s allegation, denying it as untrue while countering the claim.
The Senator, a former governor of the state, commented in a statement by his Special Adviser(Media), Sam Onwuemeodo, that he was amazed when he learnt that the impounded vehicles were not taken to state Police Command headquarters but to the Government House where four have already been auctioned for N4 million.
Part of thestatement reads: ” The government has gone ahead to auction the private cars of the former governor of the state, those of his security personnel, those of his aides, political associates, those of Rochas Foundation College and so on , who were with him on the day the attack at Royal Palm Hotel took place. In doing that, they had thrown caution to the wind.
“ln all the cases involving Okorocha and lmo State Government, including the one decided by Justice Njemanze (retd), which is now at the Appeal Court, the government never mentioned Okorocha’s personal cars and those of his aides, associates, his security details, Rochas Foundation College, et al.
“There are also valuable materials and documents in some of the vehicles, including international passports. One had expected that the Police would have taken all those items or materials and documents into their custody.
“We call on the Inspector-General of Police to get the Commissioner of Police in lmo State to release the vehicles taken away from the Royal Palm Hotel on February 21, 2021. Other important documents in some of the cars should also be retrieved. The Police have some explanations to make.”
When reached Declan Emelumba, the state’s Information and Strategy Commissioner, spoke to Track News Nigeria that Okorocha was raising a false alarm.
He added that Royal Palm Hotel which has yet to be unsealed is now government property.
The commissioner stressed:. The place is still been sealed. You can see that he(Okoroch) is not telling the truth.,.
” At any case, the government has seized that place and it does not belong to Okorocha again. It is government property so how can government sell its own property. The truth of the matter is that he is raising a false alarm. Police are still there.”
