By Emmanuel Nduka
Uloma Nwosu, daughter of Rochas Okorocha, a former Governor of Imo State and presidential aspirant in the forthcoming 2023 election, has explained that her father was scared of following officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) who stormed his Abuja residence on Tuesday, May 24, because he was unsure of them.
Uloma who is married to Uche Nwosu, a political god-son of her father, made the assertion while she appeared as guest on Arise Television flagship programme, The Morning Show on Wednesday.
Narrating her father’s ordeal, she said the family demanded for a letter of invitation to substantiate claims by the anti-graft agency that her father was indeed invited for questioning, or at least tender a warrant of arrest or any other document of sort.
Debunking further claims that her father jumped bail, she stressed that there are two serving Senators who stood as sureties for him. “None of them were contacted. My father didn’t even try to travel or run away. The EFCC has his international passport. He has been going about his duties in the National Assembly and attending other functions, so how could he have jumped bail,” she said.
“The way they had presented themselves, we weren’t sure that it was official. There was no legal document supporting their action. I was there, and I was scared as well. We were afraid for his Excellency’s life.
“He said something that was simple to them. Give us a document or a court paper. Remember that the same day that my father declared for Presidency on January 30th, was the same day the EFCC came up with the 17 count charges. And yesterday that he was supposed to go for the presidential screening of his party, they came again with no supporting document,” she lamented.
Also speaking on the same platform on Wednesday, Ebunola Martins, Spokesperson, Rochas Okorocha New Nigeria Campaign Group, noted that the EFCC disregarded a standing Court Order preventing it from harassing Okorocha or invading his premises.
He argued that the EFCC was out with a clear agenda to stop his principal from taking part in the screening, given his growing popularity.
Insisting that his principal never stole money as claimed by the EFCC, he said “how can the EFCC assume that a man who left over N48bn in the Imo State account after he left office as Governor steal just N2.9bn? Is he a fool?” Martins queried.
