A pressure group known as Coalition of Imo Rebuilders has stated that it would send Mbaise clan on exile in the event that Governor Emeka Ihedioha fails to deliver as he pledged during the electioneering. In a statement in Owerri and signed by the association’s president, Cornarade Joe Ndu Onyekanmam and made available to this newspaper, the coalition alleged that though it was too early to judge Ihedioha, he had made an avoidable early blunder.
“We can tell you that we commend Governor Ihedioha’s appointment so far as he has equity, fairness, state character even as he has appointed people with experience and character, it must be pointed out that he seems to be toeing former governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha in terms of awarding contracts. We are saying this because his first major project, the Owerri, Mbaise, Obowo Road had been awarded to a contractor who is doing shoddy job.
“Just take a visit to Heartland Radio, at Azaraegbule and Ntewogwu in Mbaise to understand what we are saying. The problem is not Ihedioha awarding the contract but the contractor who is not doing what is expected of him. Our fear is that if a contractor handling the road leading to the governor’s hometown is not doing well, then there is fear that all is not well”, the release noted.
The chairman of the coalition group stated that, though he was a PDP member, he never supported Ihedioha in the run up to the party’s governorship primary election. He said, “I must tell you that Ihedioha was not my choice during the primary election. I supported Samdaddy but after the former emerged PDP candidate I campaigned for him during the election proper. It was at this point that I encountered my long standing friend of about 25 years now, Chief Osondu Nwachukwu who is a diehard supporter of Ihedioha. Nwachukwu boasted that Ihedioha would deliver and that we should hold him responsible if Ihedioha fails. As a matter of fact, Nwachukwu said he would go on an exile if after one year Ihedioha could not perform. I remember vividly that we took that debate at Relief Market. However, I can tell you that, not just Nwachukwu, we Imo State shall sentence Mbaise to political exile if Ihedioha fails. And, as I have indicated, I have my fears, in view of the low quality of job on the Owerri, Mbaise, Obowo Road”.
