All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, was on Sunday arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The arrest, according to a PUNCH report, was carried out by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property.
Chairman of the panel, Okoi Obono-Obla, said in a short message to the newspaper’s correspondent that the panel arrested Uzodinma, the senator representing Imo West Senatorial District, for the failure of his company to execute a contract of $12m for the dredging of Calabar channel.
According to the panel’s chairman, the contract was awarded by the Nigerian Ports Authority.
Obono-Obla said Uzodinma had been evading arrest for about a year but was arrested at about 8.20pm at the Abuja airport.
The statement read, “This evening, at about 8.20pm, operatives of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel For Recovery of Public Property at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport arrested the APC governorship candidate in Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, after disembarking from an Air Peace P47324 flight from Lagos.
“The panel is investigating economic sabotage against Senator Uzodinma arising out of the failure of his company to execute a contract of $12m for the dredging of Calabar channel awarded by the NPA.”
Uzodinma does not enjoy the support of Governor Rochas Okorocha who insists his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, should be the Imo APC governorship candidate.
