Following the forced resignation of Jacob Zuma as the President of South Africa , owing to corruption allegations , the Imo State government says the statue it erected in honour of the embattled ex- President will not be pulled down .
Okorocha had in October hosted Zuma in Owerri , where his statue was unveiled ; a chieftaincy title was conferred on him and a major road was named after him.
But , reacting to calls by some persons for the statue to be removed after his resignation, a statement on Friday by the governor ’s Chief Press Secretary , Mr. Sam Onwuemeudo, said Zuma , who he said did not receive any formal education, rose to play a major role in the freedom of the people of South Africa .
The statement partly read, “He resigned honourably , and after his coming to Imo where he spoke against the killings of Nigerians in South Africa , the situation came under control , to a large extent .
“ Zuma came to Imo to partner Rochas Foundation College for Africa . He didn ’ t come for politics. And even after his departure as President , he would still go ahead to make his contributions to the education of the underprivileged children in Africa .”
Meanwhile , some citizens of the state have called on the governor to pull down the statue of Zuma, who was asked by his party , African National Congress , to resign over corruption allegations .
The Publicity Secretary of The Labour Party in Imo State, Uchechukwu Echerecho, urged the state government to pull down the statue with immediate effect .
He said , “It is the greatest joke of the century that Jacob Zuma ’s statue is still standing . The Imo State government should pull it down with immediate effect . South Africans have rejected Jacob Zuma so it is wrong for him to be accepted in Nigeria , especially in Imo State .”
Also, the Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state , Damian Opara , said apart from pulling down the statue , the South African government should refund the money spent in hosting Zuma and erecting his statue in the state.
