Sam Onwuemedo, the Senior Special Assistant, SSA to Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha on Media has gradually settled into his office. Having been a Press Secretary to the Governor of Imo state, I know that the office Onwuemedo occupies toady is a thankless and tough job.
He has gradually changed the face of Okorocha’s reaction to media criticisms from the combative and confrontational, to the soothing and urbane replies, which ought to flow out from the revered office of Chief Executive of a state who occupies his office from the privileges of the masses, and therefore a servant of the people, and of course not above mistake.
Recently, reactions coming out from the Governor’s stable have been informative and educating, unlike before when they all sounded like the Governor was at war with all Imo people, especially those he perceive to disagree with his style of leadership.
When on May 14, 2014 the Owerri residence of the former Governor of Imo state, Chief Ikedi Ohakim went into flames, Ohakim reacted by appointing accusing fingers at the opposition as being behind his woes. He could be correct or wrong, since the police is yet to come out with their findings.
But it is usually the way of politicians to accuse their opponents whenever any thing untoward visits them.
And in the case of Ohakim, he was like a grieving woman who lost her child, and therefore could say many things.
Having suffered such a personal loss, nobody expects Ohakim to be laughing at such a huge loss that cannot be quantified in terms of money.
Following this scenario, in the spirit of Igbo culture the former Governor received condolences from the nook and cranny of the world, as those who read about the inferno commiserated with him.
This includes Journalists who visited the scene, and beheld first hand, the extent of the damage and they attested it was huge.
Among those who sympathized with Ohakim was the Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
Devoid of the previous media Bravado, the Governor showed he was human, and has blood flowing through his veins, and in sympathizing with Ohakim over the fire, expressed why the former Governor should look at other directions for whatever happened to him and leave Imo state Government alone. Very courteous and simple.
Imo Government even asked that an investigation panel be launched into the incident. If it were before, the Okorocha administration would have been full of bile and anger against a perceived enemy.
But here, the Governor realized that his predecessor was human. And sent a word of sympathy, after the Government had found out that the House, truly was burnt. Imo Government did not say Ohakim should be held responsible for the fire or ask the cooks or security men. The Government did what it ought to do, and then allows the appropriate authorities to unravel what led to the inferno.
But suddenly, a former lawmaker and now a Special Adviser to the Governor, Hon Uche Onyeagocha came out with one bizarre postulation; Ohakim burnt his house to curry favour from Imolites. This accusation looks ridiculous. I am not saying this because I once worked for Ohakim, I am saying it because it could have happened to any one of us.
How could a personality like Uche Onyeagocha who had been to the National Assembly, and attempted to governor Imo state make such a statement in the face of a grieving man and family?
You don’t dance on grave of your political opponent’s natural or tragic misfortunes What am I trying to say? No matter politics, you do not rejoice over the natural pains of your enemy.
This is the reason people pour encomium even on dead opponents as Igbos say you don’t talk bad of the dead. In this case, the injury inflicted on Ohakim by the fire which razed his entire possession is like death, and therefore, he deserves sympathy from well spirited individuals, including his political opponents. We must throw away jealously or envy when tragedy strikes our enemies.
That is why politicians across political lines have been sending condolences to the former Governor, with some putting theirs in Media Houses; both print and Electronics.
Therefore, no one knows what Onyeagocha wants to achieve by laughing at a man whose life possessions went up in flames.
Is Onyeagocha seeking attention? Is he trying to curry favour from the powers that be? Is he a sadist?. Or is he really sure that Ohakim torched his house? Is he not a human? What really does he want? His action is strange.
The Imo state Police Command had invited the man to throw more light on what he said, and he maintained his position. Incredible!
And there is this salient question; could Ohakim have really torched his house to curry favour from Imo people? But what favour could the former Governor be trying to garner from Imo people at this material time?
Honestly speaking, for those of us Journalists who visited the scene, I don’t see how any man could set his house on fire to inflict such material and psychological damage on himself. Before he set the House on fire, did he consult his wife? Will Government “dash” him millions of naira now to renovate the House? Has it been heard that Ohakim is declared indebted by Banks and therefore wants to declare himself bankrupt? Questions! Questions! Questions!
Ohakim said he was home to inform Imo people of his interest on the 2015 election and then set his house in flames? According to Onyeacha.
So that the members of his party, PDP will hand him the ticket? So, that Imo people will vote him when he was yet to cross the hurdle of party primaries? When the major election has not yet come?
Columnists are like prophets. I have been repeating it on this page that Imo politicians should please restrict their politics to “mouth Bomb” for which Imo is known for, and not the lethal Bomb.
However, while throwing this “Mouth Bomb” Imo politicians should only say or act those things that will be easily forgotten and forgiven by their opponents, not the “Yabis” that may take years to be forgiven.
My late father warned me that whenever I am having a “cross word” with my friends I should always give room for reconciliation, by using only those words than can be easily forgotten and forgiven by my friends, because there is always a tomorrow, as some words take years to “heal” .
I know that Hon Uche Onyeagocha is trying to go to the Senate in 2015 under the All Progressive Congress APC. But he faces a herculean task in the persons of Bar (Mrs) Nnanna Okoro and Chief Nick Oparandudu, who are all battling for the ticket with him.
Therefore, in order to attract the attention of the leader of APC in Imo, Chief Rochas Okorocha, Uche Onyeagocha has to throw decorum and sense of sympathy to the winds, by increasing Ohakim’s grief, in accusing the man that he burnt his own house to render himself homeless in Owerri, including burning his cherished Art works, memorabilia, and Books!.
Indeed, Onyeagocha can be Imo state’s own version of Ahmed Gulak, but what is important here is that the Governor of Imo state, whom he is trying to impress, had already played to role of a leader of all Imo people, by doing what is needful; sympathizing with his predecessor, who suffered untold catastrophe.
It is quite unfortunate that in 2014, some politicians like Onyeagocha are yet to realize that Imo people are not as gullible as they think they are.
Onyeagocha used to be one f the youthful politicians whom most Imo youths then looked up to, especially when he went to the National Assembly in 2003 under APGA, against every permutation.
Yours truly was one of his admirers who followed his election result from Uratta to Owerri Municipal, to the former INEC office at old secretariat Orlu Road, to make sure that the authentic result was released and reported.
He continued to be our hero when he stood his ground with a group of other principled lawmakers in making sure that former President Obasanjo’s third term Agenda was buried.
But when Onyeagocha started changing political parties like the way prostitutes change condoms, his followers including yours faithfully, started deserting him for more focused leaders, since we realized the man has lost focus. And since that time till date, he has not won any other election. Today, a former Governorship candidate begged to be made Special Adviser SA, whose office is hardly heard, except his occasional hubris to attract attention.
Onyeagocha is making all these ungodly noise for Okorocha to believe in him and hand him over the Owerri senatorial seat ahead and above Nnanna Okoro and Oparandudu. But the Governor knows that such a heartless person who cannot sympathise with a fellow human when hit by tragedy, must be put at arms length at the proper time.
In the end if Onyeagocha’s plot does not materialize, he will abandon Okorocha for another political party, because he “Must” contest the 2015 election, as it had already become ritual of him, that he must contest in every election year, no matter what position or political party, no ideology, vision or dreams.
Therefore, in the whole scenario, it is not Ohakim who is currying favour, but Onyeagocha who seeks attention from the principal, by dancing on the agony of a former Governor of the state, who genuinely and inadvertently cried in the presence of Imo Journalists who visited the scene of the inferno.
It is not Igbo culture to laugh at a man in his time of sorrow. Onyeagocha gleefully asserted that it is usually the way of Ohakim to burn his houses. That Imo Government House burnt when he was there. And therefore Ohakim burnt his house at Prefab Estate, Aladimma, Owerri. Does blood really flow through Onyeagocha’s veins?
Imo police should be alert as the witch cried in the night and the Baby died the next morning.
Onyeagocha in one of his Newspaper reactions said he was not mis-quoted, and challenged Ohakim to prove that he did not set his house on fire by himself. What this implies is that Onyeagocha is asking Ohakim to drag him to court where he (Onyeagocha) will prove that Ohakim by himself set his own house ablaze.
But who knows! Onyeagocha may know what the ordinary people like us do not know. It is now left for Ohakim to clear his name. Since Onyeagocha may have been there with him, when he (Ohakim) was putting the fire on his cherished possessions. If not, the former lawmaker would not have been too sure to reaffirm in the Newspapers what he had earlier said.
Meanwhile Onyeagocha is on his own, since the official statement from Imo state Governor said that it had no hand on Ohakim’s burnt house and had sympathized with him over the sad incident and even called for independent enquiry to unravel the cause of the fire incident.
But for now, the security personnel should prevail on Onyeagocha to tell Nigerians when he and Ohakim conspired to burn the house as he is now an “accessory after the fact”, apologies to late General Sani Abacha.
