By Apostle Ejike S. Emereonye
From the very day the present idea of the relocation of IMSU- the Imo state University to any place outside Owerri zon
e, was raised to when it will be either executed or abandoned the issue will remain on the front burner of all political discussions in Owerri zone.
A walk and review down memory lane will reveal that the hullabaloo is very belated. How are people forgetting that “all that is needed for evil to triumph is that good men sitidly and watch saying nothing and doing nothing”
People are talking about the relocation of IMSU to Orlu zone as if it is a sudden development. It is a product of a macabre plot carefully hatchedto reduce Owerri zone with all her intelligentsia and political juggernauts to shreds. Like the sophisticated drama that it is, it was planned and is being executed in acts and scenes.
What Owerri zone should be doing now is to be praying that what they are seeing as IMSU relocation should be the last scene and draw the curtain in the long drama whose number of acts and scenes, only the authors know.
Funny enough, Owerri zone usually fight for Orlu zone (Achike Udenwa) against Okigwe zone (Ararume) and at another time they fought for Okigwe zone (Ikedi Ohakim) against Orlu zone Rochas Okorocha. Okigwe and Orlu are culturally brothers and eventually they will both see Owerri zone as the common enemy which boils down to Owerri zone being the looser east or west. Now the drama proper.
ACT ONE SCENE ONE:
The military that disrupted Evan Enwerem’s tenure as governor of Imo state was handing governance back to civilians and everybody rightly thought that the less than nineteen months spent by Enwerem as governor of Imo state would be seen as nothing compared to Governor Sam Mbakwe’s Okigwe zone, four years full tenure and part of a second tenure Evan.
It was expected that Enwerem or Owerri zone should be allowed to complete a full tenure at least. This argument was roundly defeated and killed. Owerri zone kept quite may be because Evan Enwerem was the man involved and so he was abandoned. I can visualize Evan Enwerem in the grave maintaining his mature characteristic studied silence which at the end speaks volumes.
ACT ONE SCENE TWO:
An Owerri zone son professor Chidi Akujor was made the Vice Chancellor of this same Imo state University. He was there months before the advent of an Achike Udenwa governorship. Governor Achike Udenwa fresh from electoral victory made possible only by Owerri zone in a jiffy removed the young professor and replaced him with a man from his Orlu zone. This act ought to have sent some message to Owerri zone but no show, that affront was simply seen as a Professor Chidi Akujor concern or at most an Ikeduru wahala and with that myopia the rest of Owerri zone kept silent.
Unknown to them, a bigger issue was in the making and the breadfruit starts with the fist of a baby and matures into the head of an adult. Prof. Chidi Akujor should be laughing wherever he is today because Owerri zone could not apply a stitch in time. What a pity!!
The swift dethronement of Prof. Chidi Akujor (Owerri zone) and the enthronement of actually the first relocation which was not quickly understood or interpreted. For if Owerri zone cannot produce the Vice Chancellor but Orlu zone, how do they think that they will be allowed to host the university against Orlu zone. What next did Orlu do? Quickly stop Ikedi Ohakim, before he could make the stay of the university permanent in Owerri zone.
ACT ONE SCENE THREE:
When Achike Udenwa’s tenure ended, everyone turned a blind eye to the anomaly that Okigwe zone had done four years plus as governor of Imo state. Orlu zone had done full eight years and Owerri zone was still condemned to her paltry Nineteen months.
All the political actors in Imo state viscously agreed that Okigwe Zone should go again before Owerri Zone will be considered. Not surprisingly, both the actors and spectators clapped for Owerri Zone who exhibited such culpable malleability.
And so Martin Agbaso from Owerri Zone who had won an election was shoved aside by a mischievous INEC Chairman under the full glare of Owerri Zone. Unfortunately it was seen as an APGA show or a Martin Agbaso concern. Owerri Zone looked on and remained dumb. Can anyone compare the docile Owerri Zone behavior over Martin Agbaso with the Orlu Zone behavior towards Rochas Okorocha. They were both from APGA. They were both from zones not considered to produce the governorship candidate. All is now history with sad lessons.
ACT TWO SCENE ONE:
Governor Ikedi Ohakim who swore to defend and uphold the Nigeria constitution prematurely and unconstitutionally dissolved the Imo state Independent Electoral Commission ISIEC a body set up by the constitution to last for 5 years, over such brazen illegality everybody kept quiet.
In the first Achike Udenwa composition of ISIEC, Orlu zone because of her size produced 3 for the 7 commissioners, Owerri zone produced 2 and Okigwe zone produced only one and also the chairman and so it was understandable and acceptable. The chicanery of jettisoning the equilibrium in composition by Governor Ikedi Ohakim went without anyone raising an eye brow.
ACT TWO SCENE TWO:
Governor Ikedi Ohakim threw equity to the wind and in the recomposition of ISIEC reduced Orlu Zone to only 2 commissioners but rather gave Okigwe zone 3 slots including again the chairmanship which should have gone to Owerri zone. As always Owerri zone kept silent.
Act three scene one: The political zoning formula which aimed at equity and clearly predated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was baptized and reduced to a peculiarity of the PDP.
With Orlu zone having takes two straight tenures. Owerri zone, the weeping baby of Imo governorship exercises was skipped again in favor of Okigwe. When Imo State was dragged by the nose by Olusegun Obasanjo to declare that the PDP had no candidate which could have meant the skipping of Okigwe zone Ikedi Ohakim was foisted on Imo from completely outside the arrangement and against the run of play. Did anybody react the prevalence of numerous fore in the likes of Ogbako Owerri, Odinma Owerri zone and Elders forum, all ostensibly fighting for the interest of Owerri zone did not stop Ikedi Ohakim who surreptitiously became governor with a promise to hand over to Owerri Zone, the governorship of Imo State. Could he? Has he? Would he? To be continued watch out for part II.
