Former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha has described one of the nation’s anti-graft agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, as too quick to effect arrests on suspects without thorough investigation.
Okorocha expressed his observation yesterday in Abuja, while officially declaring his intentions to contest for the presidency in 2023.
While fielding questions from reporters who asked how he hoped to clinch the All Progressive Congress Presidential ticket, when he was not on good terms with the incumbent Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, he said, “as we are here talking now, if somebody goes to tell EFCC that they saw somebody coming to where Okorocha is declaring for President with some ghana must go bags, EFCC will come and pick you up and detain you without trying to find out if its true or not, then at the end of the day that person’s character would have been damaged”.
However, in a turn of events a few hours after Okorocha made the statements at the International Conference Centre, the EFCC reportedly filed 17-count fraud charges against him at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
In the charges, Okorocha is alleged to have embezzled N2.4 billion in public funds through connivance with some individuals and companies.
Meanwhile, Okorocha has urged his party APC to uphold justice and fairness in determining where to zone the presidency
According to him, the country as currently structured was built on a tripod of three major ethnic nationalities; Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba.
“It would be an injustice for the Yorubas and Hausa’s to come out to seek to contest for President, “he stated at the official declaration.