Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State on Saturday punched a protocol officer who refused to allow him sit on a chair reservedfor the Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, at the 80th birthday celebration offormer vice president, Chief Alex Ekwueme, inEnugu. The incident occurred 20 minutes before most of the invited guests arrived. This reporter learnt that the seat was reserved for the host Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime and Obi. The Deputy Governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, represented Chime who is still out of the country. The protocol officer, Mr. Ifeanyi Onukuba, who works with Obi, was shocked at Okorocha’s action and before he could recover from it, a police officer attachedto the Bomb Disposal Unit in Anambra State, Mr. Felix Alumona, pushed Okorocha whenhe was removing the tag bearing Obi’s namefrom the seat. Our correspondent observed that Okorocha’s Aide de Camp, Gabriel Onu, immediately pounced on Alumona, hitting and tearing his uniform, while other security details attached to the Imo governor joined in thescuffle. Sensing that the matter was beginning to attract people, Okorocha quickly waded in, saying, “Hey, please stop the fight! Let us not fight over an ordinary seat.I will share the seat with Peter Obi.” Minutes after the fracas, Okorocha’s aides grumbled saying,“Why is it that anywhere we go, they always reserve a special seat for Obi. Is Okorocha not the leader of Ndigbo?” When Obi arrived, he squeezed himself in the couch, sitting between Onyebuchi and Okorocha.