Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere, on Tuesday declared that the State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, could not have been where he is today, without his (Madumere’s) tutelage and grooming.

Prince Madumere made the clarification while fielding questions from newsmen on Okorocha’s interview with BBC Igbo Service, in which he attacked Madumere and claimed that one of the reasons he chose his son-in-law Uche Nwosu as his successor over others was his competence.

Prince Madumere explained that without him there could not have been today’s Rochas Okorocha and he could not have become a governor.

The Deputy Governor further chided Okorocha for blackmailing him and other members of his cabinet as incompetent and talking down on them, querying the yardstick for denying those that made him succeed.

He wondered why Okorocha could have the temerity to insult him, saying that he is incompetent when he was “the one that developed him from his crude nature to what he is today”. He also revealed that he has refused to join issues with Okorocha “for obvious reason of not destroying what God has used him to do”.

Explaining his background and relationship with Okorocha, he said: “I have tried hard not to join issues with Governor Rochas. Those individuals he mentioned in his interview are all here. You have the immediate past SGI and former Accountant General, Sir George Eche, former Chief of Staff and former SGI, Sir Jude Ejiogu, former Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly and present Distinguished Senator, Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu, and, of course, myself, Prince Eze Madumere, former Chief of Staff and the Deputy Governor of Imo State at present. If Madumere is not competent enough for all these years, he could not have been a hunch behind Rochas’ back. Without me, Rochas Okorocha would not have been where he is today and as a Governor. That alone speaks louder than even my pedigree. If we lay out our backgrounds in all ramifications, including our family background, I came from a better respected home than Rochas. Rochas has no home. All I can tell you is that I am more qualified and have better pedigree to govern Imo State than Rochas Okorocha; and I will do better as a Governor than what Rochas Okorocha has done. As a Deputy Governor, I rightly chose to take the side of the people than the side of the family of Rochas Okorocha.”

Madumere recalled that he was in corporate America before he was beckoned on by Okorocha to join him and help in his bid to achieve success in politics. He recalled that in a bid to help his friend he was there for Okorocha to manage his campaign and his outing at the Constitutional Conference between 1994 and 1995.

He, however, said he has no regrets sacrificing all to ensure that Okorocha was better moulded and became what he is today. He revealed that the true test of the real nature of anybody is when he gets power, which is the case with Governor Okorocha.

Madumere vowed never to change his nature because of one ill-fated human development project that but would continue to work with good matured Imolites to continue to contribute to the development of the state and take it to its .

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