The 2011 general election in Nigeria has come and gone and from my personal point of view it was the most keenly contested election in the annals of Nigeria’s history. The awareness was very high, the heat it generated prior to the campaign and during the campaign proper was like a bomb ready to explode on the voting days. History was made because there were not many political killings in comparison to what was obtained in previous elections except in few states, otherwise it was very peaceful. It was also very historical because heavy weight politicians lost their positions from the State of Assembly, the House of Representatives, the National Assembly and as Governors.
These results would have been unthinkable in 2003 and 2007 especially if you were in good terms with Aso Rock. Congratulations to Mr President and INEC Chairman. However, it was not the freest and fairest election in the Nigerian history as the freest and fairest election still remained the June 12 1993 election when the people from north, south, east and west overwhelmingly voted for the late Chief MKO Abiola. Nevertheless, it was a huge improvement to what we had in 2003 and 2007. I also made the experience that if an incumbent wins any election in Nigeria it is seen to have been rigged but if the opposition to the incumbent wins, that election is adjudged free and fair.
The Imo state governorship election was the most interesting, the most controversial and in the chronicles of Nigerian elections it could perhaps pass as the most historical. The awareness of the Imo election was awesome. It was intrigued that pupils of about 3 years of age could tell names of candidates, mamas and papas at the village turned into political analysts. Even those that had never been to Imo state before could tell what was happening in Imo, whether what they were saying was right or wrong was another ball game. It was very historical because it was the first time in the Nigerian history that a state governorship election was declared inconclusive and supplementary elections scheduled in four local governments and one ward. One of the local governments rescheduled supplementary elections ‘Oguta’ again did not hold. It is no longer a news now that Chief Rochas Okorocha is the 14th and the 5th elected Governor of Imo state. He defeated the incumbent Governor Chief Ikedi Ohakim with the difference of 46,363 votes.
Therefore, I encourage all Imolites, friends of Imo to support Chief Rochas Okorocha for the success of Rochas is the gain of Imo and Igbo land. We should do away with our pull him down syndrome that Imo state and Igbo people are noted for against their fellow Igbos. So, all the jobless politicians and good for nothing praise singers and sycophants should give gap from Rochas and his cabinet. The time of politics is over, therefore, falsehood or campaign of calumny that followed Chief Ikedi Ohakim’s administration will not be accepted by progressive minds or patriotic Imolites.
Chief Rochas Okorocha has got the potentialities of being the man that may give us the much sought Igbo presidency considering his philanthropic works and his acceptance in the north, south and east. Therefore, Igbo political elites especially in Imo state must unite and do away with greed, selfishness and myopic politicking and support Chief Rochas Okorocha.
I made the above statement because David Mark has been the senate president for two terms now without any impeachment taken place and Oladimeji Bankole served out his term in the House of Representatives. But we were all witnesses to how Igbo men were disgraced out of office as senate presidents one after the other during Obasanjo’s regime. We equally saw the brouhaha that followed the disgrace of Pius Anyim out of office as PDP chairman. I am not a pessimist or a prophet of doom, I am not a soothsayer, neither am I a partisan politician but I foresee that AN IGBO MAN MIGHT BE THE FIRST ELECTED PRESIDENT TO BE IMPEACHED IN NIGERIA, if Igbos ever get there.
It is however pertinent to say that this current political dispensation seems to be the first time the Igbos as an entity are politically speaking at the national level with one voice even though their stand or what they agreed with President Goodluck Jonathan is not clear to us the masses for now. It also looked like the first time Ndi Igbo appeared invisible in the political terrain of Nigeria, not even their usual spare tyre position (second position). Nevertheless, we are waiting for them in 2015 with the hope that this common front will last and that their silence at the look of things now is golden.
Chief Rochas Okorocha must be commended for the patriotism of slashing his security vote from 6 billion naira to 2 billion naira and I challenge other governors to follow suit. Enough respect for this courage, His Excellency! At least we now have a little idea of how the Governors siphon billions into their accounts every month. I must also commend Chief Rochas Okorocha for the free education which he has already started implementing. Because education is the beginning of stardom and moulder of personalities, because it is the determining factor of how rich or how poor a society is, thank you for giving the next generation future.
However, it will amount to sycophancy if I do not point out some of the unguided and military brigade approach Chief Rochas Okorocha has adopted in executing some of his policies. The sacking of the LG chairmen is one of the most unfortunate steps he has taken so far. Irrespective of how fraudulent Chief Rochas Okorocha considered the election that brought the chairmen to office, the fact remains that they were elected, because no competent court has said contrarily. If Chief Rochas Okorocha had discovered any irregularity during the election and he could not do anything because he felt that the then governor would influence the judgement, how about now that he is the governor? Why not take the case to court and allow justice to prevail? Why take laws into his hands?
How will Chief Rochas Okorocha or those supporting this arbitrarily use of power feel if President Jonathan sends military men to Imo state forcing Chief Rochas Okorocha to step down because the election that brought him in was a charade in his judgement and that another election would be conducted and he could re-contest? That is exactly what Chief Rochas Okorochas has done.
Why are we too sentimental or emotional in such a sensitive issue like this one that has got the capabilities of hindering the progress in Imo? The litigation that followed the past administration is what we do not want again. Why create unnecessary hatred with this illegality? How am I sure that Chief Rochas Okorocha is not trying to foist APGA members as chairmen, the same thing he accused Ohakim hence he ignored due process and militarily sacked the chairmen. Politics is really a dirty game and I could never be a good politician. What Chief Rochas Okorocha did was using his muscle against the chairmen and such rascality of power is an abuse to due process that will not stand test of time.
On the 10,000 jobs I must reflect that during the campaign period the Okorocha’s camp said that Ohakim never employed any youth that he was only using that for political votes and now that Chief Rochas Okorocha is the Governor the music has changed again to be that Ohakim gave the jobs three weeks before the election. These are two sharp contradictory statements. Please I am only a concerned Imolite with progressive mind. Even though Chief Rochas Okorocha was not my candidate before the election but now that he is my Governor especially having impressed me to a very large extent so far I will now be one of his ‘Vuvuzela’ as long as in my judgement he is doing well.
Therefore, my candid advice to Chief Rochas Okorocha is that he should not waste much of his time trying to rubbish Ohakim because he has got enormous responsibilities on his shoulders that he can not afford to fail. These youths that he disengaged from their respective duties, some of them also stood by him during the election and made it possible for him to be where he is today politically. I will also not believe or agree that the youths that were employed three weeks to the election according to Chief Rochas Okorocha’s camp were employed with bad intent to make it difficult for Chief Rochas Okorocha because Ohakim did not go into that election as an incumbent with the hope that he would lose. What it also means is that Ohakim would have maintained the employed youths for the next four years if he had won. How can I now comprehend the above saying that it was a trap for Chief Rochas Okorocha to fail?
In consideration of all these political manoeuvrings, I am appealing to Chief Rochas Okorocha to please not to play politics with the future of the youths he said he came to rescue. I know of a lady that left Lagos state after securing this job and never thought in her life again of going back to Lagos as she settled already down in Owerri and now this rascality of power has kept her in a state of misery.
Because Chief Rochas Okorocha was supposed to have done his investigation first before the suspending or sacking of the youths and not the other way round, therefore, I am appealing to him once more to recall the youths to duty immediately while his investigation is still on. I also urge that his investigation should be free from sentiments, biasness and vindictive in nature because what is involved here is the future of our youths and not Chief Ikedi Ohakim. I equally in my opinion suggest that Chief Rochas Okorocha should embrace all sons and daughters of Imolites irrespective of their political affiliation or stand during the last election, because he is now the father of all.
Let us support Chief Rochas Okorocha and pray that God protect him and guide him. His success is the growth of Imo state and Ndi Igbo.
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