You cannot issue directive to financial institutions, Okorocha tells Ihedioha

Following the advice on Thursday by the Imo State governor-elect, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, to both the state financial officers and financial institutions to guard against illegal withdrawals of funds henceforth from the state treasury and bank accounts, Governor Rochas Okorocha, yesterday, told Ihedioha that he had no “right or locus yet” to issue such order, urging those affected to disregard the warning.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, the governor accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Prof. Francis Ezeonu, of wrongly declaring Ihedioha as governor-elect.

Ihedioha had in a maiden press briefing at his Owerri residence, after his election, warned that no illegal withdrawals should be made from the state account henceforth.

According to the governor: “Ihedioha, who was declared winner of the governorship election in the state by the Ezeonu-led INEC in Owerri, does not have the right or locus yet to harass or give directives to the financial institutions in the state over their dealings with the state government.

“The media report quoting Ihedioha to have given such directive is unfortunate and a sign of ugly things to come. Otherwise, Ihedioha should not have been the first, of all the governors-elect in the country, to issue such directive.

“We are also not surprise at his issuing the directive, because as a PDP man, his interest, first and foremost, will be the treasury of the state, and the ‘policy’ or slogan of share the money’ will soon come back. But he should exercise patience and wait till he is sworn-in. He shouldn’t be in a hurry.”

Okorocha maintained that his was the only government in place until May 29, stressing: “That government should continue to work in the interest of the state and her people and also continue to carry out programmes and policies for the same purpose until the end of its approved life span.

“To begin to harass or give directives to financial institutions in the state is an act of hostility and he should know that.

“The financial institutions in the state should disregard such directive and continue to do the right thing and take the right action, since the best he can do is to confront the outgoing government when he takes over on any financial transaction he has reservations at.

“The general public should also disregard any publication anywhere, especially on the social media, attributed to the governor, which is not directly from him or from me. Those who won the governorship election with votes from only three local governments and their supporters have begun to do funny things just to deceive the general public.”

The governor appealed to the people of the state to remain calm and not to do anything that would threaten the peace of the state.