By Okey Alozie
The initial agreement between the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha and members of the Imo State House of Assembly, that the lawmakers would be given extra job to head the local government areas in the state has hit the rocks.
Instead, Okorocha has reportedly made a U-turn to appoint his aides, former political appointees and office holders’, new chairmen of council management committees. Others to serve in the committee are the LGA party chairmen of APC and Nneoma coordinators of the 27 LGAs of the state.
Trumpeta had in its last edition reported about the uneasy calm in APC family, Imo State, following the unconfirmed report that Okorocha intended to appoint lawmakers as head of the TC management committee.
In the new deal, Okorocha is said to have appointed the new members of the Imo Local Government Council management committee to be in-charge of LGA administration and it’s likely that he will dole out N54 million naira from the bailout fund to each council management for takeoff.
This arrangement adopted by Governor Okorocha has been described by many as the notorious Kashim formula that rocked the state in the past. The new appointees according reports are mostly former lawmakers, sitting appointees, APC LGA party chairmen who are Rescue Mission compliant and were able to deliver their various wards in the last election.
Trumpeta observed that the appointment is an imposition of APC political heavy weights in their various council areas to dictate the events of the aggrieved members of the party especially those in the rural areas who were not favoured thereby accusing the Governor of trying to rob Peter to pay Paul.
Information reaching our news desk however revealed that the Governor intends to use this appointment to settle the 7th Imo Assembly members and past government appointees who are having face off with him.
Some APC women leaders from the LGAs have complained bitterly on the ill treatment meted on them since after the election. The women complain of being starved of the financial largesse and other entitlements their counterparts are getting. They became more aggrieved when the list of the management caretaker committee came out and they were not included.
