On May 26, 2011 at about 2.30 pm, when I was the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to a former Governor of Imo State, His Excellency Chief Ikedi Ohakim, then Governor-elect, Chief Rochas Okorocha arrived Imo Government House Owerri for an interface with the out-going Governor, who later took Okorocha around Douglas House on a familiarization tour.
In Okorocha’s entourage were people like Dr Paschal Obi, the current Principal Secretary to Governor Okorocha, Mr Frank Onwumere who was incharge of Video and other recordings, Mr Chinedu Offor, incharge of Okorocha’s Media then and others.
But there was a particular guy that interested me because of his dressing, mien, attitude and calmness. I called one of the men with Okorocha aside and enquired about this guy; and he said he was “Uche Nwosu, Okorocha’s Personal Assistant PA”.
While others in Okorocha’s entourage were confrontational, combative and even hostile to us in the Ohakim’s Team who welcomed them, Uche Nwosu, sharply dressed, simply sat at one corner and quietly observed what was happening.
From that day, I noticed him, without even showing it. Therefore, when we left office, and floated my own media outfit with my friends, I suddenly developed a very cordial relationship with Uche Nwosu.
While some of my colleagues said he is arrogant and hardly picks their phone calls, the situation was different with me, as the guy picks my calls, greets me at occasions and hardly showed any of these behaviors my colleagues complained about him.
I can remember that during Christmas celebration of 2015, I was entering Owerri through Road Safety road Egbu by Toronto and met a serious hold-up that kept road users for hours without movement. When I got to the scene of the gridlock I discovered it was caused by a Trailer that tumbled along MCC road.
Immediately, I called Nwosu, and as usual he picked my call. I narrated to him what I saw. And when I was going home to Ngor Okpala the next morning I noticed that a caterpillar had pulled out the fallen vehicle off the road and traffic flowing freely again.
The next time I called Uche Nwosu was the day some clergy men called me that Nwosu had sent Bulldozers to pull down their church located around former Mechanic Village Orji.
Again, I put a call across to Uche Nwosu and he picked immediately and I told him about the news I was writing and wanted to hear his own side of the story. He said he would send someone to pick me to wherever was the site of the church under discussion, so that I can see things by self.
And within some minutes, a Hilux vehicle arrived my office with a driver and I went to the church and discovered that it was not Uche Nwosu that ordered the pulling down of the church.
I even discovered that the church in question had been given another land by Government to relocate, while the old building would be demolished as agreed by both parties.
As I explained the situation to Uche Nwosu, he responded that why he liked me was because I always try to hear both sides of a story before writing. He asked me to follow the Driver to his office, which I refused politely and we exchanged banters and it ended.
This relationship continued from such a distance yet close, until attempts were made by Okorocha’s Media Aide to decimate the Imo Newspaper Publishers Association INPA, which Trumpeta Newspaper was among those who resisted that coup.
However, after Government succeeded in poaching some of the Media Houses it could corner, I still kept my contact with Nwosu, and called one day on how the face off between INPA and Imo Government could be resolved. I agreed on suggestions for peace between both factions of INPA.
After giving me appointments severally without keeping them, which was unlike the Uche Nwosu I knew, I simply moved on with my life and faced my own business till date.
So, since then we have not seen nor called each other as we used to do before. And it is nearing over a year now
I had to narrate this story to show that from my own observations, Uche Nwosu is not such a bad fellow. However, his intention to run for Imo Governorship seat in 2019 has exposed him to all and sundry and puts him on the spot.
That Imo APC today is vibrating with crisis cannot be divorced from Uche Nwosu’s Governorship project whether Nwosu decided by himself to vie for the coveted seat or was forced into the race by his father inlaw, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, is inconsequential here.
Indeed, why Governor Okorocha is doing every thing possible to corner the Imo APC structure is simply because he wants to leave a successor behind, and that person is Chief Uche Nwosu, which Okorocha has not hidden about.
In the other hand, why the coalition or “Allied Forces” are at Okorocha’s door step every day, is to make sure that he is not allowed to carry out that plan of foisting Uche Nwosu on Imo people and APC come 2019.
Therefore, a quiet study of the present trouble in Imo APC shows that Uche Nwosu is at the centre of the entire debacle. Should Okorocha for any reason decides to cool the Uche Nwosu project, relative peace will return to Imo APC.
Under this circumstance, some observers may misconstrue the entire scenario to mean that Imo people are against Uche Nwosu as a person. But I beg to disagree with this theory.
Uche Nwosu is presently suffering a case of transferred aggression. The youthful politician is facing a rejection by association. No more No less.
Whatever backlash that may be directed at Uche Nwosu’s Governorship ambition is because of his principal, and father inlaw, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
Okorocha was gradually getting it right, and may have even scaled through with the Uche Nwosu’s plot until he lost it. The Governor let out the Cat when he derailed from his people-oriented posture and chooses to act as the supervisor of all Imo citizens, even when he knew he still has things to ask from the Imo masses.
The tumultuous antagonism against Uche Nwosu’s project has nothing to do with the guy as a person, but because of those pursuing his father inlaw who suddenly threw away the ladder after climbing the roof top, forgetting that he may suddenly run into a snake and wish to climb down without warning.
Had Okorocha played his card well, he would not have ran into a road block too early in his plan to plant Uche Nwosu as successor.
From the political, policy and social angles, Okorocha bungled the Uche Nwosu plot.
Though the project is still on, according to the latest statements by Uche Nwosu himself, but the exercise would not have taken such a tool off everybody involved had Okorocha played the game well.
For instance, why would Okorocha as early as last year began to name those who would or not succeed him? Why did he solely share APC tickets from House of Assembly to Governorship with disregard to other Imo APC chieftains? Why did the Governor suddenly begin to ostracize some of his followers, by establishing a creed which he called “Agburu Anyi?”
Why would the Governor begin to plot against those at the APC top hierarchy when he knows he needs the support of both the Imo APC elites and the grassroot to muscle his way through in Abuja?
Why would the Governor suddenly do away with some of his old political foxes around him, with the false confidence that his newly created and youthful army can defend him when the die was cast? In politics you cannot do away completely with your former comrades in the Jungle, by replacing them with neophytes and think that the past can easily fizzle away. That was Machiavellian theory. The world is evolving with changes every day. So, old theories are giving way too to new discoveries.
The latest Okorocha “Agburu Anyi” mantra pitted him against others who are not part of his “Agburu” and that is why there is revolt right within Imo APC and Okorocha’s Rescue Mission Group.
If not, why would Okorocha former close confidants pitch tent with the “Allied Forces”, at a time Okorocha needs them most?”
In terms of policy, absolutely there is no way it can be said that Okorocha did not change existing status quo in the State. But the important questions is at what detriment?
It is true that since Okorocha took over seven years ago, he has not stopped working. But then there is a time to work and time to rest. So, when will Okorocha and Imo people rest in his administration for both to enjoy the dividends of the regime?
Since seven years on, Imo people have been on the “move” trying to adjust to the Okorocha’s endless policies.
For instance, road construction is the major plank of Okorocha’s policy, apart from the free education. Therefore, in Owerri in particular, how come Okigwe, Douglas, Wethral, Uratta, Orlu roads could not be completed in seven years till date? Brethren you can travel to Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra States etc and see road constructions; the qualities, durations and finishing touches.
In this circumstance, the Imo electorate are bothered and afraid of going through such situation again. You get my drift? That is where it affects Uche Nwosu.
Now, before Okorocha came into office, he knew how much the common masses contributed to his triumph.
Seventy percent of Imo populace are self employed through petty trading and other businesses. Therefore, since there is no factory in Imo, the people depend on what they hustle every day.
In other words, markets in Imo State serve as the major employer of Labour in the State. But as the Governor leaves office next year, all the major Margets in Imo State are no more.
Had the demolition been limited to the capital city only, it would have been manageable. But Eke Atta, Nkwo Orji, Urualla, Akaokwa, Mgbidi, Ihitte Uboma, Ubomiri, Amaraku, and other Markets are all mauled down. And all demolished at the same time. And as I speak, no serious jobs are going in these markets. Yet Government is gearing to demolish more.
Under this situation over a million people have been rendered unemployed some homeless by this market rehabilitation policy of the Government tagged Urban Renewal. But, you see a good policy gone awry due to bad management!
You can observe that the venom from the displaced traders are channeled toward the State government, nay Uche Nwosu’s project. Are you now getting me?
On the social aspect, the Governor for no provocation dwelt much on castigating the Imo elites, which include his predecessors and other top politicians of the State. He did not even spare the poor which he called “myopic”.
Why he chose every fora to disgrace these people is hard to fathom. By so doing Okorocha was attracting odium to Uche Nwosu, who is now seen as his symbol after 2019. Have you seen now why Nwosu is facing stiff resistance for no fault of his?
The Governor said he has retired Arthur Nzeribe, Achike Udenwa, Ikedi Ohakim, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and would retire Ifeanyi Araraume after 2019. So, the Governor expects these big men to allow him carry out his plan, by foisting a successor.
Uche Nwosu, who will then bury them later? Have you seen what I am trying to say?
To succeed in putting Uche Nwosu into office in 2019 would have been an easy task had Okorocha not been carried away with his recent and transient stardom, wealth, contacts and connections but rather assumed his 2019 puritan posture which endeared him to the heart of a majority of Imo electorate and confused the masses.
He should have appealed to the conscience of the electorate, and pandered to the caprices of the rich and politely sale his product, which is Uche Nwosu.
But Okorocha seems to have forgotten that he remains a politician despite the power he wields today, and should have stooped low to conquer. Instead he mistook the docility of Imo people, which he ought to have capitalized on and showered them with love and respect to get them lulled into submission until 2019 was over.
Instead the Imo masses are angry with the disrespect they get from their Governor, and therefore averse to him producing a successor, who they believe will continue with the way of his master and perpetuate the existing draconian policies.
If you go to Egbu road now, you will see that the road already constructed by a former regime with Imo Tax payers money is being destroyed, instead of leaving it as it were, why Okorocha goes on with constructing of new ones elsewhere. Such attitudes from Okorocha rankles Imo people, but Government does not take notice.
The Fire Service, at Mbaise Road Owerri, which was relocated and turned to a hospital or First Aid centre, has now been marked for demolition just few months after it was modernized by same Okorocha’s administration. You think Imo people are fools. So why waste scare resources? Have you asked Imo civil servants and pensioners when last they received their pay?
In the area of Free Education, many parents have withdrawn their Wards from public schools, when there ought to have been increase in enrolment. Has Government bothered to found out why?
Have you visited Dan Anyiam Stadium lately and see what the stadium now looks like?
In Owerri, there are some roads that are usually bad, but are always manageable throughout the raining seasons.
For instance, the short road from Mbano Street Aladinma to Aladinma Hospital. The other one is Dick Tiger Street towards Shoprite.
But today, these roads are permanently closed, which has never happened since Tanko Zubairu.
Therefore, Imo people are taking these studies quietly and unfortunately directing their anger towards whoever our Governor is projecting as his anointed candidate in 2019.
My good friend, Uche is still very young and would have simply pocked the Nkwerre/Isu/Nwangele/Njaba Federal House ticket and from there climbed to his God’s given political ladder to the top. Just a suggestion though.
But as Nwosu has assured that his Governorship ambition is still alive, I wish him what he wishes himself. May the will of God be done!
With Okorocha’s faction of APC now taking over Imo APC office, the fight has just begun. And since the Governor has insisted that no other candidate is better than Uche Nwosu, let it be.
And since Okorocha says that there is no zoning in APC, so shall it also be. But certainly, the next few months will be tumultuous for Imo APC, Uche Nwosu, Okorocha and the Allied Forces.
“Politics is just like show Business. You have a hell of an opening, coast for a while and then have a hell of a close” says Ronald Reagan former American President.
