By Adadainfo
Former Imo governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, has vowed to bring to book the creator of a viral audio claiming that he was a conduit in disbursing the sum of $1m bribe to Senator Attan Achonu, Labour Party’s governorship candidate in Imo State.
The audio claimed that the said sum was given to Ohakim by Gov Hope Uzodinma to make Achonu not to contest the guber race against him (Uzodinma). Uzodinma is the standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming poll.
Ohakim, who reacted through his verified Twitter handle, described the allegation as ‘criminally defamatory’, adding that the person behind the act was ‘known”.
The former governor tweeted, “My attention has been drawn to a viral audio claiming that HE, Gov Hope Uzodimma used me as a conduit to disburse $1m to Sen Athan Achonu, the LP guber nominee.
“This audio is false & criminally defamatory & I’m taking prompt steps to bring the known creator to book.”
The creator of the trending audio, spoken in the Igbo language, claimed that he took Achonu to Ohakim’s house.
Quoting him, “Sen Attan Achonu (LP guber candidate) called Ohakim, and asked where the meeting would hold, and Ohakim said it was in his house. Ohakim asked Attan to ask anyone to bring him to his house. I personally took Attan to Ohakim’s house.
“When I got to Ohakim’s house, I had thought it was just a brotherly meeting between him and Ohakim. But when I got there, I saw Ilomanya, Ojindu, Osita Nwaneri, Ambrose Ejiogu, Maxwell Duru.
“I now asked within me if Achonu isn’t in Labour Party. How come he was attending elders’ council meeting of the All Progressives Congress? The organising secretary of Labour was with us. We were discussing in the car when we were going back, because Achonu had joined the meeting.”
The audio further claimed that the LP candidate later joined them at a location in company of a stalwart of APC. The APC chieftain, according to the voice, told the narrator privately that Achonu was invited to the meeting to be influenced not to oppose the re-election bid of Gov Uzodinma.
Quoting him, “The stalwart told me that the APC Elders’ Council invited Achonu so that he won’t contest against Hope.”
The voice alleged that after the LP guber primary which Achonu won, he gathered that the meeting Achonu held with the APC elders was where he signed a bond on oath not to contest against incubent Uzodinma, after which he, Achonu, ‘collected $1m from them on oath’.
The source justified his claims because the LP candidate ‘had some financial challenges, but was lavishly spending money during the primary of LP’ which he won.
