.Describes Proposal As Sham
Less than two weeks to the Imo governorship election, the 2019 gubernatorial candidate of APP in the state, Sir Bruno Chidiebere Oparaocha has taken a swipe at the Charter of equity hyped by the Imo Elders Council, faulting the timing and its lack of categorical information about the next zone between Okigwe and Owerri to be named as the successor to Orlu zone which is on the saddle currently.
Recall that the Imo Elders Council, in a move to douse tension, acrimony and bickering in leadership succession among the 3 zones came out with the idea of charter of equity after it has become very indefensible that Orlu zone will continue to occupy the seat of government of the state for upward 20 years while Okigwe and Owerri had served for 4 years and 7 months respectively.
Speaking to our newspaper in an exclusive interview over the weekend, Bruno noted that the absence of clarity on how the rotation should be conducted makes the package suspicious, a smokescreen to hoodwink voters so that governor Uzodinma will be re-elected, and that’s all. He doubted the sincerity of the proponents of the charter of equity on the account that the Council is constituted in the main by members of the All Progressive Congress, who, according to him are overtly desperate to retain power at the expense of truthful resolution of the unfair domination of the Imo political space by Orlu zone. Bruno observed that members of the Elders Council are active politicians leading the ongoing re-election campaign of Gov Uzodinma in their different zones. He therefore wondered how they intend to convince the masses of the state of their sincerity since they have remained taciturn about which zone has the right to be elected next.
When pressed for comment on why the Elders Council cannot be specific on the zone, he said the omission was deliberately created to keep Okigwe and Owerri in a suspended animation so that each zone will be dangling with the hope of getting the nod if they show evidence of out voting the other in the forthcoming election. Bruno however revealed that the governor is not telling Okigwe and Owerri zones any truth about which zone will succeed him, having perfected plans to introduce either of his Chief of Staff, Nnamdi Anyaehie or Senator Osita Izunaso whom he will swap position within the Senate to fulfil his ambition of remaining relevant after his governorship. He urged Owerri zone to reject the charter of equity that will give Hope Uzodinma a second term and take the chance offered by the coming election to open a new charter of equity by voting any credible candidate of Owerri extraction.
Interrogating the timing and reason why the charter of equity surfaced now after remaining silent in the life of this administration for the past four years, the Ulakwo, Owerri North born entrepreneur hinted that the package is a vote catching gimmick introduced at a time the proponents feel the people will get carried away easily.
He said “introducing the charter of equity during elections has been a well documented trick used by political parties in the state to sail through because it is the easiest way to extract the support of a zone that feels strongly it is their turn next
“If truly there is sincerity in the proposed charter of equity it should start with Owerri zone in the 11 November election in relation to the legal maxim that he who goes to equity must go with clean hands. Governor Uzodinma will be recorded in history if he steps aside and supports an Owerri candidate for justice and equity to be seen to have been done. This is when we can believe their charter of equity”.
He therefore called on the guber candidates of other political parties to close ranks and support Senator Samuel Anyanwu of PDP as their consensus candidate.
Commenting on the 4000 Imo youths to be sent to Europe for jobs, Bruno who plies his business in south Africa described the idea as fallacious, questioning the workability of such program when many European countries are battling with dwindling economies. The guber candidate whose marshal plan was to leverage on the agricultural model of south Africa to launch the state into a formidable national economy if he was elected as governor in 2019 said our state government can create high yield opportunities for youths in agriculture and engage them rather than deceiving them with none existent jobs abroad.
