My deputy remains impeached, says Okorocha

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state has insisted that Prince Eze Madumere has ceased to be his deputy following his impeachment by the state’s House of Assembly.

He said that though he was aware that an Owerri High Court had reversed the exercise, he is awaiting the verdict of the appeal he filed against the court judgement.

Okorocha, who was reacting to a statement credited to Madumere that the governor embarrassed him by refusing to recognise him as his deputy at the burial of the mother of the former Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and now the senatorial candidate for Imo West under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Osita Izunaso, described the deputy governor as an “ingrate who bit the finger that fed him”.

A statement signed by Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, said, “The failure or inability of the governor to recognize Madumere as the Deputy-Governor of the state at that event was not an oversight. That was the proper thing to do because there is an existing appeal at the Appeal Court against the High Court judgement that quashed.

“So, until the appeal is decided, Madumere remains impeached. And recognizing him as the Deputy-Governor of the State with the appeal pending would mean jeopardizing the appeal. He should have known this fact and if he had asked his lawyer, he would have told him that the governor acted rightly in the circumstance.

“Madumere declared war against his benefactor or mentor because he wanted to be governor, using the issue of zoning as his bet. Today, Madumere is neither the governorship candidate of any political party nor the deputy governorship candidate. He has no option than to support Hope Uzodinma, the APC candidate who is from Orlu zone.

“Those who had encouraged Madumere to fight the man who made him somebody, on the ground that they would make him governor have gone their ways and the Prince is not only on his own, but now staggering, thinking about which leg to put forward first,” the statement added.

Okorocha wondered why Madumere was still keen in working with him as his deputy after he had tried in vain to paint him black.