Charley Boy prevented Governor Rochas Okorocha from paying tribute to his father.
Eye
witnesses said that the mass which was conducted by the Catholic Bishop
of Sokoto Diocese, Rt Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah at the Sacred Heart
Catholic Church, Oguta, went on smoothly until Okorocha was permitted by
the Bishop to pay his tribute to the fallen judge.
However,
Chief Okorocha, was stopped midway into his speech, by Charley Boy who
was visibly infruiated with Kukah for granting the governor the
permission to speak. He walked up angrily to the altar and snatched the
micro-phone from the governor, to the embarrassment of all the
dignitaries present.
It was a disgrace to the governor.
Among
eminent Nigerians present at the church service included representative
of President Goodluck Jonathan, the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Governors Willie Obiano (Anambra),
Theodore Orji (Abia); the Deputy Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha and former governors of Anambra
State, Senator Chris Ngige and Mr Peter Obi respectively.
Also
present, were the former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim,, Senator
Uche Chukwumerije and the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu, the
state Police Commsiioner, Almajid Ali and the Divisional Police Officer,
DPO, for Oguta, Ikembuchukwu Abugu.
The
intervention of Bishop Kukah could not assuage Charly Boy’s anger as he
insisted that no politician would take advantage of his father’s burial
to score “cheap political” goals. He insisted that the Governor should
not speak at the event.
However,
obviously embarrassed by Charley Boy’s action, the Governor and members
his entourage hurriedly left the church service mid -way, despite
entreaties from the officiating Bishop Kuka for them to stay on.
It was
gathered that Charly Boy’s action followed a recent statement by
Government House, Owerri, to the effect that the Oputa family was given
N20 million to assist it in the burial arrangements.
Sources told
Saturday Vanguard, however, that “the family never received a dime from
either Okorocha or the state government, not to talk of the alleged N20
million said to have been made available to them,’’ as reported by a
section of the media.
Meanwhile,
the state government has described the incident that played out at
Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Oguta, as “ugly and regrettable.”
According to
a statement by the Seniour Special Assistant, SSA, Media, to Governor
Okorocha, Mr Sam Onwuemodo, “It is highly regrettable that the son of
the late Justice, Mr Charles Emeka Oputa, aka, Charly Boy, threw caution
to the wind and turned the church service into a political theatre that
saw him acting or playing out the script he drafted in Abuja with some
Imo politicians, who have remained cowed by the overwhelming popularity
of Governor Rochas Okorocha.”
Onwuemeodo
insisted that the state government made “substantial financial input and
also organized a special day of tributes for the late Justice Oputa at
the expense of state government with Charly Boy also present with other
members of the family.
”We condemn
that ugly incident and also wish to advise politicians from the state to
stop heating up the polity over power since God is the giver of power.
In 2015, God will decide who will be governor of Imo State and when God
decides that, there is nothing anybody can do about it.” He did not make
to reference to the N20m said to have been given to the family.
0 comments:
Post a Comment