By Tochi Onyeubi
There are strong indications that not less N1.1B was utilized for the organization of the protest march in support of the new Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma on Monday as a counter to that of PDP.
APC in the state staged a mass rally in support of Senator Uzodinma.
Feelers available to Trumpeta have it that not less than N1.1b was used to execute the solidarity rally in Owerri.
A privileged information the newspaper stumbled into before the event, suggested that the amount involved was used for different logistics.
According to the details, which a top official of the party (name withheld) circulated to members, including DAGs of the various LGAs, the following was allegedly mapped out for the execution of the protest.
From what the newspaper saw, the details have four buses per ward at 30,000 per bus, which is 120,000 multiplied by 305 wards which totaled, Thirty Six Million Naira (#36,000,000), transport 20,000 per person by 18,000 persons, totalling Three Hundred and Sixty Million Naira. Security agencies of Police, Army and Civil Defence are to have a whooping amount of One Hundred Million Naira each, (#100,000,000).
It was also alleged that One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira, was mapped out for leaders of the party, while entertainment, miscellaneous and logistics took, Fifty five Million Naira, Eighty Million Naira and One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira, respectively.
It was not surprising that on the protest day, not less than 3000 buses landed Heroes square, loaded with protesters including men and women to justify the vehicles, while security agencies were spotted.
The protest took place from Heroes square to Government house disrupting economic activities for a moment before they dispersed
Another important signal that a huge sum of money was mapped out remain the quantum of protest from those mobilized after the event.
Our reporter who monitored the protest further discovered that, those mobilized later started demanding for their engagement fee which was tagged at Twenty Thousand Naira per person.
While many cried out and protested over non fulfillment of the amount quoted , others battled to get half of what was offered. When our reporter sought for confirmation of the said information, no DAGs was able to confirm such notice while no one was at the Okigwe road office of APC for reaction.
A source in the camp Hope faction of Imo APC denied about the quoted figure adding that it was pure falsehood orchestrated by PDP elements in the state to demystify the new governor.
“There is nothing like that “, said the source who pleaded for anonymity. “Those who came out were in their own and needed no financial inducement to go on solidarity rally he added.
