Imo Saga: I can only account for N3.7B – Emeka Ihedioha

Following the last Monday quashing of ex-parte application order by Owerri High Court presided over by Justice S.I. Opara, instituted by Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, the immediate past Governor of Imo State asking the court to stop the state House of Assembly from probing the alleged N19.63B illegally squandered by his 7 months old Re-build Imo administration, the erstwhile embattled Governor said that his administration will only account for N3.7B out of the aforementioned amount as expended by the 27 Local Government Areas between May 29th, 2019 and December 31st, 2019 as his administration was punctured by the Supreme court on 14th January, 2020.

Ihedioha made this claim on Tuesday during a press conference titled “why Ihedioha went to court”-PDP, held at the State Secretariat of PDP, along Okigwe Street Owerri and presided over by Hon. Ray Emeana, the Party’s State Secretary.

The party applauded Ihedioha for approaching the Imo State High Court with a view of seeking redress on the on-going investigation or “Probe” of the purported N19.63B missing Local Government funds in the State.

They pointed out that the interim Audit Report of the Auditor General of the LGAs in the State covered the period from 1st January, 2019 to December 31st, 2019 and queried various officers, and MDAs to explain the various expenditures they made totalling N19.63B.

According to them “it is instructive to note that His Excellency Rochas Okorocha was the Imo State Governor from January 1, 2019 to May 28, 2019. Whereas, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha was the Imo State Governor from May 29, 2019 to December 31st 2019 that the Interim Audit Report covered. it should be noted that of the N19.63B LGA expenditures in question, approximately N16B was expended between January 1st 2019 to May 28th 2019, during the administration of Rochas Okorocha. It was only the sum of approximately N3.7b that was spent by the 27 LGAs between May 29th, 2019 to December 31st, 2019 during the administration of Governor Ihedioha” they stated.

In view of this, the party claimed that the 7 months old administration of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha should only explain the N3.7b expenditure out of the N19.63b expenditure stated within the accounting period while the balance of about N16b should be accounted for by the Rescue Mission regime of Senator Rochas Okorocha.

They described the invitation of Ihedioha and some of his officials by the State Assembly on issue concerning the alleged fund misappropriation as Kangaroo and a demonstration of extreme bias and a clear premeditated case of witch-hunt, without any pretence to impartiality and objectivity.

They further expressed dismay that “the matter was referred to the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Assembly that had no single member of the PDP as a Committee member. The Minority caucus of the PDP in the State House of Assembly petitioned the Speaker to reconstitute the committee and not only include PDP members but to make a PDP member chairman as has been the precedent convention and procedures in the Imo House of Assembly, sometime in the past, in the National Assembly since 1999, in most of the State Houses of Assembly in the Federation and indeed most of the commonwealth. This is to ensure fairness and transparency. Mr. Speaker refused”.

They noted that it is based on the circumstances that erstwhile Governor deemed it imperative to seek the intervention of the Court following alleged obvious breaches in the processes and procedures of the purported probe.

They also said that the party, would want the court to determine whether the procedure for investigation is consistent with Sections 128, 129 and even 125 of the nation’s 1999 constitution as amended and Imo State Local Government Administration law, section 129 (1) that contained the procedures for the auditing of Public Account and Local Governments.

They insisted that they have no intention what so-ever of stopping or evading any investigation or probe but rather they are out to establish that rule of law, due process and fair play are applied in the entire process.