Land acquisition probe not to witch-haut anybody – Ihedioha

Governor Emeka Ihedioh of Imo state has assured that the seven-man judicial panel of inquiry set up to look into the acquisition of land in the state between 2006 and May 2019 wasn’t instituted to witch-hunt anybody.
Gov. Ihedioha, who gave the assurance through his Chief Press Secretary, Chibuike Onyeukwu was reacting to Senator Rochas Okorocha’s recent press statement, alleging that he was the target of the inquiry and saying that the action of the state government would dissuade investors from investing in the state.
The governor said that “we have deliberately avoided the ploy of the ex-governor to drag us to the level of exchange of words in an attempt to seek cheap relevance in the media.
“This is because the good people of the Imo state have already evaluated the performance of the former governor and their verdict is outright condemnation of his irresponsive and irresponsible misgovernance characterized by the unprecedented plundering of the state treasury.”
Gov. Ihedioha made it clear that he has no intention whatsoever, to witch-hunt the former governor or anybody for that matter.
According to him, the constitution of the judicial inquiry on land acquisition and other related matters was driven by the ceaseless complaints, petitions and lamentations by citizens of the state of the impunity, irregularities and deliberate distortion of the original master -plan of the state.
“We wonder how former Governor Okorocha arrived at the unfounded allegations that the panel is on a witch-hunt when the inquiry dates back to the Chief Achike Udenwa administration.
“One may not be wrong to believe that there could be more to such panic reaction from the former governor even when the panel is yet to fully commence its assignment.
“We are not unaware that the incessant vituperation and abuses by the former governor is targeted at distracting the people’s governor with a view to derailing the rebuilding process.
“There is no gain-saying the fact that Governor Ihedioha is not on a vendetta mission, but on a rebuilding mission of the state and no amount of childish tantrums will reverse the trend.
“It is also important to draw the attention of the former governor who is seemingly out of touch with recent happenings in the state to the retinue of investors thronging the state courtesy of the dexterity of Governor Ihedioha.
“This surge in eager investors and donor agencies is a clear function of the credibility, believability and goodwill the governor has brought to bear since his inauguration. By far, this was not the case during the last administration.
“This administration is on course and cannot be distracted or derailed by such mindless and unfounded allegations, which of course are poorly rehearsed diversionary stunts, intended to pull wool over the eyes of Imo people and Nigerians in general,” the governor stated in the statement.