By Okey Alozie
More revelations and intrigues have continued to trail the intrigues by the Judicial Commission On Contracts during the Okorocha era led by Justice Benjamin Iheaka as the submission of Ichie Best Mbanaso former Deputy Chief of Staff and one time Mayor of Orlu zone opens another manner past administration led by Owelle Rochas Okorocha handled the contracts .
Mbanaso’s submission have brought another inquiry into the Okorocha’s family as the probe panel has now considered it necessary to summon Chief Uche Nwosu, Okorocha’s son in-law and Ogechi Ololo his sister who worked as aides to the former governor. While Nwosu served as lands commissioner and Chief of Staff, Ololo performed Deputy Chief of Staff (Domestic) jobs and later commissioner for Happiness.
Also while Uche Nwosu is to appear for the shops he was accused to have sold at Orlu market, Governor’s sister, Ogechi Ololo has to respond to the panel because of her involvement handling of the purchased of machines she received at Government House, Owerri.
Uche Nwosu is to account for the sale of shops at building materials market Orlu, old Onitsha road shopping plaza, Owu’s shopping plaza and other shops at Orlu.
Mbanaso told the commission that Uche Nwosu allegedly used his position as Chief of Staff to sell shops at those places mentioned above adding that he was neither part of the contract nor aware of execution.
He admitted that he helped the former governor to provide suppliers of building materials through his wives contact but surprisingly as he said, those who did the supply material for the jobs executed were not paid till date as many he said have sued government.
Continuing Mbanaso told the panel that all the major contracts were handled by Government House stating that Paschal Obi and Okorocha were at the centre of the whole job.
Mbanaso further said that some of the materials his friends brought were also taken to Okorocha’s private homes.
At this point the panel demanded that he should list out the materials supplied to Okorocha’s private house and the ones supplied at the government sites, the contract value and the amount being owed till date.
The former commissioner promised to provide every document required by the panel on his next appearance.
Concerning Ogechi Ololo, Mbanaso told the panel that it was Okorocha’s younger sister that received the machine items in Government House when the supplier brought them.
He said that those machines were for sanitation purposes and cost a huge sum of money. The witness (Mbanaso) who was led by his counsel Fintan ILika (Esq) maintained that each of the machines was supplied at the cost of N4.5m and total was N225m.
According to him, only N125m was paid and till date, the government is still owing the supplier balance of N100m.
Ichie who revealed that he severed relationship with his former boss and got sacked by Owelle Rochas Okorocha because he didn’t support the governorship ambition of Uche Nwosu under AA.
Mbanaso went further to state that the former governor does not believe in due process “Okorocha will just wake one morning and give out a contracts without paper”, he added.
He further disclosed that to the best of his knowledge, some of the companies he just heard their names at the panel did not handle any contract in Imo State.
The panel mentioned about 10 companies which Mbanaso declared that those companies never worked for the state during his stay in office.
For example, the road from Akwukuma junction to Banana junction, Orlu which Mbanaso said was handled by JP Construction Company at N800m, it was later discovered has another company’s name attached to it with a different amount of money written for the contract.
The 2km road Eastern University road, Ogboko Ideato and other roads were discovered to have different names outside the original names attached to the award and execution.
Multiple names were discovered in one name and the only name that Mbanaso identified properly was JP Construction Company he said belongs to a foreigner, Mr Garri Peters.
Because of Mbanaso’s testimony, the foreigner, Garri, Ogechi Ololo and Uche Nwosu were all invited for explanation.
