The war of attrition between Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, and Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh assumed a fresh dimension on Wednesday with the senator describing Okorocha as a trickster. .
Umeh fired back at Okorocha on Wednesday for daring to label him a non performing senator.
Umeh who is also a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) fired back at Okorocha for daring to label him a non performing senator and reiterated his regrets supporting Okorocha to become governor about ten years ago.
The lawmaker told reporters in Abuja that the support he gave Okorocha which made him Imo State governor has remained a source of regret to him.
Umeh spoke in the Senate to underscore the need for the Senate to pass “A Bill for an Act to establish the Theatre Arts Professional Regulatory Council to provide for the regulation, training and registration of the Theatre Arts Professionals in Nigeria and for matters connected therewith, 2018 (SB.681).
He noted that Okorocha’s attempt to “orchestrate the impeachment “of his deputy, Chief Eze Madumere convinced him that the governor is “an irredeemable and unconscionable leader.”
He said that “if Okorocha is allowed to succeed in piloting the impeachment of his deputy it will be the second time Okorocha would be behind the removal of his deputy.”
Umeh insisted that Okorocha began to attack him because he advised him not to impeach Madumere having impeached his first deputy, Chief Jude Agbaso during his first tenure as governor of the state.
He said, “No doubt, Rochas Okorocha is about making history in Nigeria as the only governor that impeached two deputies and because I advised him against impeaching the current one, he started attacking me.
“I regret supporting him to become governor of Imo State against all odds. I didn’t know he is a trickster and a ‘419” who found his way into office through fraud and deception.”
The senator recalled how Okorocha declined to honour agreements with other party stalwarts in the state who ensured his success. “Now Okorocha has turned himself into a tiger that is attacking all of them without any molecule of conscience,” he said.
Umeh said that he personally signed the agreement that brought Okorocha to power as governor, “but I later saw that the governor is a trickster,” which made him to distance himself from him.
He accused Okorocha of attacking religious leaders and elder statesmen for advising him to toe the right path and threatened to publish Okorocha’s alleged “fraudulent transactions” if he continued his outbursts against him.
“Here is a man who was answering “yes sir, yes sir’ to me, even in the presence of my police orderly who has been working with me in the last 13 years.
“On getting to office, he suddenly changed, became a tiger and was attacking everybody. I have documents of some of his fraudulent practices and if he continues to attack on me, I will publish them.”