the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka
Ihedioha, has taken a more dramatic dimension even after the near
bloody clash between their supporters during last weekend's New Yam
Festival at Mbaise.
While Senior Special Assistant, SSA, to the Governor on Media, Mr.
Sam Onwuemeodo, described what the governor passed through at Mbaise
as unwarranted, unprovoked and unnecessary verbal attack, the Personal
Assistant, PA, to the Deputy Speaker on Media, Mr. Chibuike Onyeukwu,
demanded unreserved apology from Okorocha for defiling the reverred
age-long Mbaise New Yam Festival.
"The Deputy Speaker and other Mbaise leaders, believe that it is the
Governor who actually owes the Mbaise nation an apology for disrupting
the event after coming late in his characteristic manner and defiling
the treasured cultural values and tradition of Mbaise New Yam
Festival," Onyeukwu said.
Continuing, Ihedioha's PA reasoned that by walking out on the people
and failing to accompany the Ndi-Ezeji to the yam barn for the
customary Ito-Ji, the Governor displayed utter disrespect and immense
disregard for Mbaise land and her tradition.
"It needs to be made clear that the Deputy Speaker's remarks as a well
cultured, civilised representative of the people were simply at the
instance of Mbaise people and a correct reflection of how they felt
and still feel about the abandonment and sheer neglect they have
suffered in the hands of Okorocha's administration," Onyeukwu said.
He wondered why the Governor, who found it convenient to ignore
several invitations to attend Iriji Mbaise in the past three years,
suddenly decided to attend this year's edition for obvious sinister
political reasons.
The Deputy Speaker's aide used the opportunity to ask the Governor to
list the projects his government had done for the Mbaise people and
compare same with the appreciable life-changing Federal Government's
projects and programmes in infrastructure, education and vocational
empowerment he (Ihedioha), had attracted to the state.
In his own reaction, Onwuemeodo said before the New Yam Festival,
"the governor and Chief Ihedioha have no problem of any kind to the
best of the knowledge of Imo people and Mbaise people in particular,
except that Ihedioha is aspiring to succeed Governor Okorocha in 2015,
which is not a sin."
Onwuemeodo alleged that when Ihedioha was called upon to address the
audience, "instead of using that ample opportunity to tell the crowd
what he has been able to attract to his people for the 12 years in
the House of Representatives or what the PDP controlled Federal
Government has been able to do for Mbaise people or Imo people in
general for 15 years or what the PDP governments in the state for 12
years were able to do, he opened another round of attack on the
governor, telling the people how all the projects of Okorocha's
government were inferior."
Vanguard
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