It is no longer news that the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere is facing impeachment threat. For starters, impeachment means the act of removing an elected Government official from office before his tenure expires.
However, the Madumere saga is not the first time Imo populace are witnessing the sacking of their elected Deputy Governor through impeachment.
The word “impeachment” gained entrance into Imo political lexicon when the first Deputy Governor under the Chief Rochas Okorocha’s Governorship, Sir Jude Agbaso was removed from office following controversial allegations.
Till date, not a few Imolites can attest to what exactly was Agbaso’s offence that warranted the impeachment, which he has continued to battle in court to quash.
Today, another of Okorocha’s Deputy, Prince Eze Madumere is in the eyes of the storm. If Madumere is removed from office as envisaged by his detractors and Okorocha appoints another Deputy, the Governor would enter the history books of Nigeria as the first Governor to rule a State for Eight years with three Deputy Governors.
For those who may be nudging Okorocha on to remove Madumere, they must ponder for a second and ask themselves if they would wish Okorocha who will be leaving office in the next few months, to parade such a record in Nigerian history; the Governor who ruled with three Deputy Governors in eight years!
Mush as one does not hold brief for anybody here, it however must be stated clearly that if this Madumere impeachment sails through, it would rather not be a plus to Okorocha’s political exploits but instead a stigma he will carry throughout his political life.
The reason is simple. Many would wonder how a Governor spent Eight years in office with three Deputies. A lot of people would not mind the crime and sins of these impeached Deputies, but would rather wonder why a Governor could spend all the time in the world battling his Deputies than face more important State matters.
Was it that these sacked Deputies were incompetent or that their Boss was intolerant of their views? Was it that this Governor possessed less leadership qualities to decipher who could function well with him as Deputy?
Now, the case looks like when a man divorces three wives in a row. What many would be looking at is the behaviour of this man that makes him divorce his wives easily and frequently. The general belief would be that there could be a strong reason these women never lived peacefully with this man.
In the case of Sir Jude Agbaso, the former Imo Deputy Governor, what we heard that led to the quarrel between Governor and Deputy was a certain contract involving one J-Pross man from Lebanon.
But many saw that as a smoke screen as they swore that what sent Agbaso packing from office was because of a certain agreement Okorocha reached with his elder brother Chief Martin Agbaso prior to 2011 election.
It was alleged that Okorocha agreed to hand over power to Owerri zone nay Martin Agbaso after one term in office, if Agbaso could allow him use the All Progressive Grand Alliance APGA platform to execute the 2011 Imo Governorship.
This sources alleged, was agreed on but Martin preferred sending his younger brother to Deputize for Okorocha while the senior Agbaso waits till when the time is ripe.
But Okorocha who promised to do one term had different ideas. Therefore, in order to dislodge Agbaso from the agreement, the brother had to be impeached.
This gave Okorocha the opportunity to appoint his own person, and a man he could trust as the new Deputy. And that Deputy is Prince Eze Madumere, who had worked as Okorocha’s Chief of Staff when Okorocha was in private business and continued in that office in Imo Government House.
Indeed, it is on record that Madumere was a loyal Deputy, to the extent that people called him names, because his loyalty exceeded loyalty. He was too committed to Okorocha that he could do anything for the Governor including going to Jail, if need be.
Pundits are saying that Madumere was this loyal to Okorocha, so that the Governor could see his sincerity and handover to him while leaving office in 2019.
If that was the case, Madumere was wrong as Okorocha had other ideas. Even when it became too clear by his actions that Okorocha will not hand over power to him, Madumere’s loyalty to Okorocha blinded him.
For political observers, Okorocha began his succession plot when he started assigning “Big Jobs” to his Chief of Staff even when his Deputy was present. This, political observers saw as “teaching” his Chief of Staff the ropes, by Okorocha, who had Uche Nwosu in mind as his anointed successor.
Despite this glaring signals, it seemed Madumere wanted to be too sure that his Boss does not deem him fit to take over from him in 2019. And this came to reality when his friend and Boss said it openly in the Press that his Deputy was not competent to man Imo Douglas House.
Yet, Madumere kept his cool and watched events as they unfolded, until Okorocha without mincing words before party officials and Imo APC members made it clear that he will hand over power only to his Chief of Staff and Son in –law, Uche Nwosu come rain come shine.
It was after this statement by Okorocha that the rosy relationship with his friend of twenty five (25) years collapsed. But Okorocha was disappointed and surprised with Madumere’s reaction.
To Okorocha, Madumere is a loyal servant who would always obey the master. To the Governor, Madumere has no mind of his own and must be led by the Nose, to agree hook line, and sinker, whatever Okorocha decreed.
Okorocha never envisaged that Madumere had a mind of his own and could not for any reason disobey his instructions, which was why he went for another fellow to succeed him, without the simple courtesy of at least consulting his Deputy and political Ally for over twenty five years before making his choice.
So, if Okorocha thought that Madumere would continue to obey him like a robot, it was on the issue of his successor that his friend of 25 years shocked him. Okorocha forgot he was dealing with an adult. A Prince, and American trained Igbo man who started hustling at a young age. A man with a family, and political adherents whose political lives dependent on his political moves too.
Till date, Okorocha sees Madumere as an ingrate, a rebel and political saboteur, and not as a betrayed friend and Associate of too many political travails together.
The Governor does not see Madumere as a man who sees his political future in jeopardy, after serving as loyal Deputy Governor of Imo State, only for his trusted and respected Boss to jettison him for political juniors including giving a damming verdict on him by describing him as “incompetent” to be Governor.
The matter between Madumere and his Boss is that while Okorocha sees the Bottle as half full, Madumere is saying that it is half empty. It therefore depends on which side of the fence you are sitting in taking your decision.
However, in all these, Madumere is now endangered Political specie because his Boss has the powers to call the shots at least for now, since nobody can predict tomorrow. But as a betrayed man and a wounded Lion, Madumere is fighting the political fight of his life. And it is expected of him as a human.
Now that his matter has been thrown to the spineless and mercantile Imo legislature, it was simply to give his sacking a constitutional backing. But has Madumere been just a political appointee, he would have been history because Okorocha would have sacked him since.
Already, the Imo Assembly has acted the Pontus Pilate, by washing off their hands and handed the matter of Prince Eze Madumere’s impeachment to the Imo State Chief Judge whose panel will nail the coffin.
But before the Imo House of Assembly plays the Ostrich, it would be right here to point out some of the stupid errors performed by the House in its hurry to quickly round off the Madumere impeachment project and share their booty.
It is disturbing that out of the Eighteen members of the House that signed the Madumere impeachment, five of them were members of the Kenneth Ibe committee that indicted the Deputy Governor of Misconduct.
Therefore, how can these members who petitioned against the Deputy Governor still partake in the decision to judge him. In law, you do not probate and reprobate at the same time.
Then shockingly, one of the allegations leveled against Madumere was that he is a “thief and Jail Bird”.
How come the Governor, his friend and political ally of over twenty years, forwarded a fellow with such “qualifications” to the Imo House of Assembly to be cleared as his Deputy?
When did the Governor learn that Madumere is a thief? Did Imo Assembly while clearing Madumere five years ago ever went through his dossier? Does it mean the Governor has been associating with a thief all these years and hid it from Imo people, until now? This is what late General Abacha calls “Accessory after the fact” in coupe trials.
However, in the end, Madumere may be impeached or not. But we all know that politics is the cause of these squabbles.
Both Okorocha and Madumere are respected Imo sons and have their political lives to live. But should Madumere be removed from office now, Okorocha would have simply expanded the size of his political enemies.
The Jude Agbaso saga is yet to cool off as Owerri people are still enraged over that ugly act.
Adding Madumere to the number of his numerous political detractors will not augur well with Okorocha’s political future, as tomorrow is another day.
No matter what Madumere may have done to incur Okorocha’s wrath now, the political environment in Imo State is already not favourable to more tensions as the situation in the State is akin to a time Bomb waiting to explode. Will Okorocha ignite it? Posterity is waiting.
