Aftermath of Disputed Guber Debate: Okorocha, Wife Jubilate In Owerri

A common adage says "a person whose house is on fire does not hunt for
rodents" but the opposite was the case yesterday when security
challenges marred the Imo guber debate organised by the Justice
Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) of the Catholic Archdiocese of
Owerri at the Obiri Odenigbo Pavilion, as the Chief Security Officer
of the state and a candidate for the debate, Rochas Okorocha, engaged
in road show while the security of the state was under threat at the
Maria Assumpta Cathedral Owerri.

Imo people were disappointed with the action of the governor for not
making any efforts as the Chief Security Officer and a supposed
participant at the debate to bring peace and calm at the venue of the
programme to ensure that the event was executed as scheduled, having
benefited from the same event four years ago to become the state
governor. Instead, he and his wife showed no interest and respect or
regard for the event and went on road show with school children that
are not up to voting age while the Catholic clergy, widows and church
properties at the venue were manhandled and destroyed by suspected
supporters of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the
moderator marshalled out the rules of the game which they felt was not
comfortable to their principal.

Feelers gathered by our reporters disclosed that the road show was in
celebration of the botched debate which Governor Okorocha had earlier
boasted will not be executed, as he suspected that it will be against
his second term interest alleging that the organisers already have a
particular candidate and known Catholic in mind.

However, the Chairman of the JDPC, Rev Father Casmir Nzeh, who spoke
to media men, submitted that the stakeholders will meet to brainstorm
on whether the marred debate will be rescheduled or not.

The Priest asserted that the turn out of events is very fortunate not
unfortunate as Imolites can equally and easily draw their conclusion
on the candidate and party to vote for, from the incident considering
the level of intolerance and desperation exhibited by the candidates
and their party supporters.
--Trumpeta