ALLEGED $12M FRAUD: WHY WE RELEASED UZODINMA

We are not deterred – APC assures Imo people •Okorocha out to destroy APC – Senator Uzodinma •He failed to execute contract – Imo APC By Ikechukwu Nnochiri, Omeiza Ajayi & Chinonso Alozie ABUJA —The Special Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property, SPIPRPP, yesterday, said it granted administrative bail to the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, after he developed high blood pressure in detention.

Chairman of the SPIPRPP, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, who confirmed Uzodinma’s temporary release on bail, said the lawmaker, who was accused of complicity in alleged $12 million contract fraud, pleaded to be allowed to return for questioning today. However, the senator, yesterday, denied that he was arrested and accused Governor Rochas Okorocha of planting the story as one of his attempts to destroy him and Imo APC, having lost the APC governorship ticket to the senator. The Okorocha faction of Imo APC countered immediately, saying that its investigations showed that Uzodinma did not execute the $12 million contract. Meanwhile, the APC, yesterday, assured Imo people that it was not deterred by what its governorship standard bearer was going through in the hands of the SPIPRPP. The party said, though it was yet to get details of the incident, it however remained unfazed ahead of the general elections. National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu in a chat with Vanguard said: “I do not have the details yet. I read the report like every other person. It is when we have the details that we can react appropriately. However, we want to assure the peace loving people of Imo State and our supporters there that we are on course. There is no cause for any apprehension. They can trust the party they voted into power to do the right thing at anytime.’’ Why we  released  Uzodinma – Obono—Obla Obono-Obla said Uzodinma was released from detention around 12 midnight on Sunday. He said: “We granted him bail to report back today and this morning he was supposed to return by 10 am but he requested for us to adjourn the matter till tomorrow that his blood pressure went up. We don’t want him to die, so we have granted him an extension till tomorrow (today) to report to us. We will wait for him, if he doesn’t come as we agreed, we will know what to do.” On Uzodinma’s alleged denial that he was never arrested by SPIPRPP operatives upon his arrival in Abuja from Lagos, aboard an Air Peace, Obono-Obla said:  “Well, you know that no one will say that his mother’s soup is not sweet. The man was arrested. If not, why is he begging for extension till tomorrow (today)? He was arrested, yesterday, (Sunday) at the airport about 8:30pm by our operatives and he was kept there till about 12 midnight before he pleaded that he should be allowed to go and we conceded because we don’t have detention facility. “We don’t detain people as a matter of policy in our panel. But we asked him to report back by 10am today (yesterday). When we did not see him by that time, we went to his house and laid siege there. It was then he started pleading that he was not feeling well and that he will report to us tomorrow (today). “So we granted him that respect. If he fails to report tomorrow (today), then we will take it up. We have already filed charges against him for refusing to declare his assets. This matter has been lingering for the past two years. “He has tried to play some politics but we are not politicians and we have nothing to do with the politics of Imo State. But this matter has been lingering since 2017 that we started looking for him. He refused to answer our invitation.