By Charles Igbo
Fresh facts are emerging as to why former Governor of Imo State and, now, the Senator representing Imo West was not arraigned in Court, along with 14 of his aides/supporters.
Okorocha was arrested Sunday afternoon for unsealing and breaking into the Royal Palm Estate which was sealed and seized by the Imo State Government two days earlier.
The sprawling multi-billion Naira Estate was built by Okorocha’s wife, Nkechi, during her husband’s tenure as a Governor. But a Judicial Panel of Inquiry, set up by his predecessor, Emeka Ihedioha, and inherited by incumbent Governor Hope Uzodinma, found out that the Estate was developed with money from the State Treasury. The Government subsequently seized it after accepting the Whitepaper and gazetting it.
But Okorocha took a bunch of his aides and supporters to go and repossess the Estate. They were arrested and detained by the Imo Police Command.
But Monday morning when they were arraigned before a Magistrate Court, the Senator was absent, causing raised eye brows.
However, this magazine was told that his non- arraignment followed a number of interventions from some quarters
While he was in the custody of the Police, the Inspector General of Police IGP, allegedly, asked that he be given bail, Sunday night, on the grounds of his alleged failing health. Another source at the Police Command, alleged that he had a suspected stomach upset while in custody, causing him to visit the restroom, several times.
In deed, a number of people noticed that the once robust former Governor has lost a lot of weight, prompting speculations on the state of his health. But some also speculate ‘”he is only keeping fit.”
Aside from his health status, interventions also came, allegedly, from the Senate Leadership, the South-east Governors’ Forum, and the Sultan of Sokoto. The Chairman of the S.E. Governors’ Forum, Dave Umahi, who is also Ebonyi State Governor, confirmed the intervention of the Forum, saying some headway had been made.
It is not known yet if the interventions will stop the arraignment of Okorocha and what the fate of his already arraigned Aides/supporters will be.
They were each, on Monday, granted bail to the tune of five million Naira, only.
