Imo State has become a theatre where various types of drama are displayed. And the scenario in the State perfectly suits one of Chinua Achebe’s literary works, One Week One Trouble. I will rephrase it to be One week, One katakata.
This therefore demands strategic change in approach to issues pertaining to governance by Governor Rochas Okorocha. He has to stop opening his flanks which has subjected his adminstration to all sorts of battles, including those that are meaningless and totally unnecessary.
In the past eight weeks, his adminstration has been inundated with so many troubles. And this is capable of weakening whatever support base the adminstration thinks it has. We have seen so much drama week in, week out in the State that has made some of us wonder if this government is not losing composure and direction. Lets go memory lane.
Few weeks before the present and biggest drama we are seeing in the State, we saw Governor Rochas Okorocha labouriously attempted to convince Imolites that his predecessor, Ikedi Ohakim looted the state coffers when he was the governor of Imo State from 2007-2011. We saw additional drama when the dreaded Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) agents invaded the State and rather than look for the accused, it went after the footsoldiers of the accuser. It quizzed the Finance Commissioner, George Eche and the Accountant General.
A week before the present one, the citizenry in the State were inundated with shameless tales of corruption in high places . The Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso’s alleged involvement in a contract scam opened a pandora’s box. It opened a flood gate of other secrets which the people of Imo State were not privy to. And for the first time in the history of the State, we saw the Deputy Governor of the State tell Imolites that his boss is the one responsible for his ordeal.
While the Agbaso scandal was yet to abate, Imo ALGON, an association of elected Local Government Chairmen in the State who were unconstitutionally sacked from office by the present adminstration petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and vowed to fight to finish in their bid to reclaim their seats as Council Chairmen. Its legal adviser, Barr C.O.C Akaolisa added ice on the cake when he revealed to newsmen stunning secrets concerning the fianancial position of the State.
Before Akaolisa spilled the beans,Martin Agbaso, the patrich of the Agbaso political dynasty, for the first time in decades, threw caution to the wind when he said despite the fact he handed over the APGA governorship ticket to Rochas Okorocha in 2011, he has not been adequtely rewarded for his gesture. According to him, he and his brother rather being given a pat on the back for their benevolence have become victims of villification.
The older Agbaso alleged that Okorocha is merely casting his family name in the mud by accusing his younger brother of an offence he did not commit. He went on to say that he is ready to die in the defence of his brother.
While the Agbaso’s were spiting fire, the Imo State House of Assembly came out in full force, declaring its desire to commence impeachment process against the Deputy Governor by serving impeachment notice to Jude Agbaso through substituted means. It went ahead to instruct the State Chief Judge to constitute a 7 man panel to investigate the allegations.
The Deputy Governor, ostensibly sensing that his job is on the line proceeded to the Federal High Court to challenge the findings of the Simoen Iwunze led House Investigation Commmitee that pronounced him(Jude Agbaso) guilty of fraud and other corrupt allegations.
The last week ended with the screening of 18 out of 27 persons nominated for appointment as Sole Adminstrators of the 27 Local Governments in the State. The House of Assembly hurriedly screened the nominess, dropping eight of them for reasons best known to it. In a jiffy they were sworn in by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Anthony Anwuka.
These string of developments within the past six to eight weeks has further reinforced the fact that Imolites are bound to see other interesting developments and eye poping revelations in Imo State in the coming weeks. As long as the present adminstration keeps on allowing the opposition to subject it to continue creating platforms for “battlefields” we will continue to see variety of political dramas. We will continue to see Owelle stumble from one katakata to the other. And this is not good for him.
It is amazing that two years to the next elections in the State, we are seeing what we never envisaged. It is a revelation that before the crucial year- 2015,we shall see more scenarios that will compel us to ask questions before we decide whom we cast our votes for.
An elderstatesman in the State concerned with the deluge of controversies that has plagued the State in several weeks jokingly asked me did Imolites make a mistake to elect a new party or new set of political leaders to navigate the ship of governace of Imo? Or is that those who have come on board the ship of governance of Imo State in the last six years have no business being elected into office in the first place? Or is that thay are not prepared for leadership positions? Or is it that Imo State is so unfortunate in securing the much needed messiah to govern the State? More questions than answers for the octogenerian as I watched him express his discomfiture over the parlous state of Imo.
Based on the foregoing, It has become imperative one locates or situates the Okorocha adminstration within the context of its style and approach to governance in the State. And I conclude that it is an adminstartion that has sincere intentions for the people Imo State on, but has allowed itself to be overwhelmed by the combined forces of the opposition.
And because there is absence of a strong mechanism to repel the “attacks” of the opposition, it has has made the rescue government to fumble and wobble sometimes and unable to detonate the “scud missiles” fired by the opposition to the rescuer.
And because there are no solid political footsoldiers in this government that can effectively manage the effects and impact of the “missiles”, the government most times finds itself in a quagmire or completely lost, a situation which invariably creates room for it to be on the defensive all the time. And a government that is on the defensive stumble from mistake to the other.
Okorocha needs someone in the mould of a Fani Kayode, an Nze Ignatius Umunna(aka Father, Father) in his adminstration. The duo were able to shield the fireworks from the opposition for former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Governor Achike Udenwa respectively.While Kayode was Obasanjo’s shock absorber, Umunna was Udenwa’s numero uno who doubled as the engine room of that adminstration.He successfully withstood the fire and heat of the opposition for Udenwa’s adminstration. Umunna who served as Secretary to the State Government was Udenwa’s backbone and when he left unceremioiulsy, that government began to stumble from crisis to the other.
Admitedly, every Adminstration that has governed Imo State has its perculiarities, differences, strenght and weaknesses. And the present one is not an exception.As one that has seen three civilian governments in a row, I must admit that Owelle’s is somehow different in style and approach.
This is why barely 20 months in office, this adminstration can be said to have engaged itself in several altercations, not just with opposition politicians but with a wide segment of Imo populace. This has led to opening so many “war fronts” that can derial his programmes for the people of the State
I told a colleague of mine in the pen profession that the present adminstartion is making grievious mistakes by engaging itself into too many battles that may be too much for them to contain with. A Government that is always on the “defensive” seldom makes a headway. It only limps from one mistake to the other.Besides, the political consequences of these battles are injurious. From the political front to the social strata, down to the socio –economic sector, there is no doubt that the rescue adminstration is battling with a wide segment of the Imo society.
Name them: Is it the 10,000 job seekers that were sacked and has taken this adminstration to court? Is it the PDP that has challenged the authenticity of Okorocha’s policies and programmes? Is it the elites that are uncomfortable with his style of governance? Is it Imo ALGON that has vowed to defend their legitimacy as duly elected Chairmen? What about the average Imolites found in various sectors of the Imo economy that troop to Government House, Owerri on one protest or the other, Is it some local contractors that did jobs and denied payment?
Is it Owerri land owners who cry foul that their land are forcefully taken without compensation? Is it Owelle’s political party-APGA that has fumed over his unilateral decision to join the APC without the least consultation with them? Is it Senator Chris Anyanwu that is aggrieved over the fact that she was physically assaulted during the yuletide last year despite her role to ensuring the emergence of the present government in the last elections? Is it the SUBEB contractors that are raising alarm lamenting they have been denied contracts since Okorocha came on board? Is it Barr. CO.C Akaolisa that is raising eyebrows and fuming with rage that state funds are randomly mismanaged? Is it the benefactors of the free education programme that lament that they still pay exhorbitant fees at IMSU?Can anyone leave out the sacked Community Liasion Officers (CLOs) that were disengaged from office without pay, Is it the CGC, though novel in design and outlook, but has shown the propensity to ignite choas and trouble in the hinterlands, Is it a section of the media that has complained of victimization and threat to their dear lives and lately the Agbaso family that has vowed to die on the basis that they are been villified by Okorocha on allegations of fraud?
From the narration above, one can see that the present adminstration has so much on its hands to contend with. It is opening too many battle fronts and has directly or indirectly engaged itself into many “battles” that it might not be able to contend with before the next elections in the State. Each of these “battle fronts” do have its perculiarities. In such circumstances, Okorocha can only win some and loose some. But in the long run, the devastating consequences of such battles is that it weakens the perception of the present adminstration in the eyes of Imolites. It removes either the shine or beauty of whatever good policies and programmes of this adminstartion.
It also has a collateral damage which the government of the day might be unable to see or decipher. Former Governor Ohakim only had to contend with the political generals in the opposition camp and this was one of the “war fronts” he battled with. And because the battle was so fierce and intense, he capitulated and lost to the opposition in the April 2011 governorship elections. And the question is, if Ohakim could succumb to the firepower from the opposition war front alone, can Rochas withstand the “ political bullets” from these segment of Imolites who are not only domiciled in the political class but have grown beyond leaps and bounds into other strata of the State? This is the time to move from rescue to mission.
