Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha Monday said he has no scores to settle with the Owerri Catholic Acrchbishop, AJV Obinna.
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According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemedo, he reminded the Archbishop that in 2011 and 2015 respectively, he and the APC won overwhelmingly in Owerri Municipal where most members of Owerri Catholic Diocese reside and more than 95 % percent of the Diocese and the Archbishops’ senior brother and frontline politician in the State, Sir Paddy Obinna have remained his strong supporters.
He said in the coming 2019 elections, there is no doubt that the Diocese will also vote for his choice for the governorship because they know the truth of the whole story.
The statement reads in part
“They know that the governor has never in any way offended the Archbishop or the Diocese. They know that Governor Okorocha’s achievements in Seven years have exceeded all that his predecessors since the creation of the State in 1976 put together had achieved. And they equally know that the governor has invested in the Diocese more than any of those before him as governor, whether Military or Civilian, had done.
“Even the reported incident at a funeral service at Ngor-Okpala, most members of the Diocese were there and know the truth, beyond the propaganda of frustrated opposition in the State. And luckily too, the Archbishop himself had told the world that he was neither attacked nor manhandled by anybody.
“The only issue is that the Archbishop does not seem to like APC as a Party and he does not hide it. He does not hide his affiliation to APGA. So he finds it extremely difficult to be on the same page with President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Rochas Okorocha, who are products of APC. That is all.
“We also want to use this opportunity to appeal to THE LEADER newspaper owned by the Diocese to stop damaging the reputation of the Archbishop by publishing falsehood and blackmails as if it is an opposition medium.
“For instance, accusing Governor Okorocha of threatening the Archbishop which they made banner headline last Sunday over an interview by Chief Steve Asimobi in Abuja which was also harmless was very unfortunate and unchristian. It makes the newspaper look junk. A Christian newspaper should be conveyor of truth and peace and not marketer of falsehood and incitement” the statement concluded