Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha,yesterday disclosed that he escaped death by the whiskers when soldiers on election duty shot at his convoy, leaving one of his aides severely wounded.
This was coming just as he has accused the presidency of militarising the state to intimidate the people from freely electing who they want to govern them.
Okorocha said he was returning from a meeting with All Progressives Congress (APC) agents, at the Imo International Convention Center,when the soldiers allegedly opened fire on his convoy and in the process injured one of his aides, who is now receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre,Owerri.
Okorocha who briefed journalists on the outcome of Saturday’s election at the Government House, alleged that the collation of the results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state were done by the military and officials of the Department of State Security (DSS) in connivance with leaders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), apparently to ensure that the APC presidential candidate,General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) did not get the required 25 per cent votes in the state.
“It was shocking that while collation was ongoing at the various collation centres in the zones, the military stormed the centres and whisked away the collation officers to INEC headquarters in Owerri, where the results were written in favour of the PDP.
When contacted, the Army Commander in charge of the 34 Artillery Brigade Obinze, Brig. General Lanre Bello, described the allegation as totally false, insisting that the soldiers in the state had carried out their duties peacefully and professionally.
This was coming just as he has accused the presidency of militarising the state to intimidate the people from freely electing who they want to govern them.
Okorocha said he was returning from a meeting with All Progressives Congress (APC) agents, at the Imo International Convention Center,when the soldiers allegedly opened fire on his convoy and in the process injured one of his aides, who is now receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre,Owerri.
Okorocha who briefed journalists on the outcome of Saturday’s election at the Government House, alleged that the collation of the results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state were done by the military and officials of the Department of State Security (DSS) in connivance with leaders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), apparently to ensure that the APC presidential candidate,General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) did not get the required 25 per cent votes in the state.
“It was shocking that while collation was ongoing at the various collation centres in the zones, the military stormed the centres and whisked away the collation officers to INEC headquarters in Owerri, where the results were written in favour of the PDP.
When contacted, the Army Commander in charge of the 34 Artillery Brigade Obinze, Brig. General Lanre Bello, described the allegation as totally false, insisting that the soldiers in the state had carried out their duties peacefully and professionally.
According to him, “no soldier shot at the governor’s convoy, neither was military personnel involved in the collation of results. The soldiers on election duty, carried out their jobs peacefully and professionally.
He noted that it was the governor’s supporters that ambushed the soldiers at Ngor-Okpala and threw bottles filled with substances suspected to be fuel at the soldier’s vehicle on Army vehicles. There was no incident of any shooting involving the soldiers in the state; the election was generally peaceful in the state, so the allegation of the governor is totally false and unfounded.
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