By Femi MacaulayInterestingly, the Senate confirmed the appointment of the new Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, in the middle of a clash between Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma and ex-governor Rochas Okorocha, who is now a senator, over properties alleged to have been illegally acquired by Okorocha and his wife.The violent drama at Royal Spring Palm Hotel and Apartments in Owerri, the state capital, on February 21, says a lot about the intensity of the fight between Uzodinma and Okorocha.The state government had sealed off the hotel, said to belong to Okorochas wife, Nkechi, claiming it was illegally acquired. The action was based on the findings of a panel on recovery of lands and related matters under the previous administration.Okorocha was arrested for allegedly unsealing the hotel. The police said it was discovered that he allegedly led some people to the place sealed by the state government. This generated unrest and some youths from Owerri stormed the place.According to Okorocha, There was a complete breakdown of law and order. He named two government officials involved in the drama, saying they had led thugs that injured his orderly and staff with machetes. They also shot Uzor, my in-law, shattering his feet with bullets. He added: The police were there watching because they came from Government House.The drama happened because he went to the sealed hotel. Why did he go there' He could have challenged the governments action without going there. But agents of the government shouldnt have responded with such alleged violence. It is true that Okorocha is no longer governor, but the current governor can make the point without seeming to encourage violence.Both of them are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This should be a restraining factor in their fight. Okorocha never supported Uzodinmas governorship ambition and had wanted his son-in-law to succeed him. This may be part of the problem. Their fight must be an embarrassment to the party.They are high-profile politicians, but they are allowing their conflict to reduce their stature. As governor and senator, they are supposed to represent law and order. But in the eyes of the public, they are behaving like agents of disorder and lawlessness.Predictably, their conduct attracted criticism from the opposition. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Imo State chapter, said their fight has nothing to do with the welfare and wellbeing of Imo citizens, adding that the battle is about who retains or takes over looted assets of the state. This damning portrayal is food for thought.The two fighters need to review their fight plan if they intend to continue fighting. They should ensure that their fight does not cause a breakdown of law and order.After the drama at the hotel, the state government approached the matter in a more civilised manner and got a court order on interim forfeiture of properties allegedly acquired illegally by Okorocha and his wife.The affected properties include: Eastern Palm University, Ogboko; Royal Spring Palm Hotel and Apartments; IBC staff quarters said to have been illegally acquired for the purpose of Rochas Foundation College, Owerri; magistrate quarters, Orlu road/cooperative office/Girls Guide allegedly converted to private use housing market square, Kilimanjaro eatery; public building plot B/2 Otamiri South Extension Layout given to the ministry of women affairs for establishing a skills acquisition centre for women, allegedly acquired for the benefit of Nneoma Nkechi Okorochas all-in stall, Aba road.Others are: Plot P5, Naze residential layout, initially part of primary school management board but now annexed to All-In Stall, Aba Road, belonging to Nkechi Okorocha, and all the properties contained from pages 226 to 272 of the government white paper on the recommendation of the judicial commission of inquiry into land administration in Imo State from June 2006 to May 2019.Okorochas reaction showed another dimension of the fight. He claimed that the Uzodinma administration deceived the court to give them an order of interim forfeiture because they never let the judge know that there has been an existing and valid High Court judgement on the properties.He stated: In Suit No: HOW/947/2019, Hon. Justice T.N. Nzeukwu gave judgement on these properties on Monday, September 7, 2020. We are not talking about the Interim Order, but Judgement; and after looking at the facts on the ground, restrained the state government agents over these properties.A viral video of the impressive hotel that triggered the violence continues to generate questions about how its construction was funded. Okorocha and his wife need to provide an explanation. I requested my wife to come home and invest for the purpose of creating jobs. I was never a poor man before I became a governor, the former governor said, but this does not explain how the hotel was built.Notably, EFCC boss Bawa referred to the UKs Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) when he appeared before the Senate for confirmation of his appointment, saying, There are certain provisions in the EFCC establishment Act that more or less gave us these powers.He said: Section 7, subsection 1b of the Act says the commission has the power to cause investigation to be conducted into the properties of any person that appears to the commission that the persons lifestyle and the extent of the properties are not justified by his source of incomes.This means without any complaint, if it comes to our knowledge that you have amassed so many properties that are not justified by your source of income, the EFCC can ask questions. That is what the simple definition of explanation regarding the Unexplained Wealth Order means.Bawa explained how UWO works in the UK: If you have this property, the UK will ask youwhat is this property for' If you explain that this is how you earned it; so be it. If you do not explain, then they can further their investigation to determine how you acquired it.It is unclear how the EFCC uses its power to demand explanation concerning unexplained wealth. It is useful to have such power. It should be used effectively.Unexplained wealth can be inexplicable. Okorocha and his wife, for instance, face the challenge of explaining their wealth, and proving that it isnt inexplicable.
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