The new Imo State Governor, His Excellency Emeka Ihedioha has denied being the brain behind the ongoing demolition of one of the Akachi towers, being one of the monuments erected by the past governor, Ewele Rochas Okorocha.

The demolition is coming barely 24 hours after Ihedioha assumed office.

Number of Imo indigenes has rebuked the action, attesting that the monument was constructed with public funds and should not be pulled down to spite the past government.

The monument, a massive tower with the symbol of a hand on the Zenith, representing the hand of God, which was commissioned by the Vice President Yemi Osibajo on May 17, 2019, sits on an expansive plot of land, reserved for religious purposes.

There are fears Ihedioha will also bulldoze other monuments in Owerri, the state capital, the famous statues particularly.

The governor has thereby denied ordering the demolition.

In a statement on Thursday, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Steve Osuji, claimed that angry residents of the state tried to pull it down.

“Imo State government has no hand in the demolition of Akachi statue.

“Contrary to reports emanating from Owerri, the Government of Imo State has no hand in the pulling down of the gargantuan Akachi statue near Aba Road, Owerri.

“In the same vein, government seizes this opportunity to warn Imo people to desist from unruly behavior and remain law abiding as anyone caught breaking the law would be prosecuted. The security agencies have been put on alert to maintain law and order across the state.

“At about noon on Thursday, a mammoth crowd had besieged the Akachi statue hacking at it and trying to pull it down, apparently acting in pent up anger.

“According to reports, Imo people seem to have nursed a loathing for the statue right from the beginning, considering it a monument that portends ominous auguries for the people of the state,” the statement read.

Osuji added that the tower could have been destroyed by contractors, who worked on the project, but were not paid.

“If government deems it necessary to pull down the statue or any structure for that matter, it would be done properly and in accordance with the law.

“Does it stand to reason that a government that is barely 24 hours old, with no handover notes whatsoever and without an office to work from yet, would concern itself with an ordinary statue? Let it be known that the new government in Imo State has its eyes set on nobler goals which includes fast-tracking the rebuilding of Imo State.

“It is interesting to note that the Akachi statue is a massive monument of a hand pointing heavenwards and rising about 50 feet into the atmosphere.

“Not many in Imo quite understand the significance, if any or importance of the Akachi statue, one of the baleful legacies of out-gone governor, Rochas Okorocha,” he noted.