Throughout last week, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Uwajumogu, Speaker, Imo State
House of Assembly was the hottest news item. Owerri based newspapers
churned out incredibly eye popping captions to try to depict the mess
in which the lawmaker is in. One or two even elected to take up the
role of the electoral umpire by declaring his seat vacant. It was
indeed, a hectic week for the press with regards to Uwajumogu
conundrum.
One question that recurred in many quarters last week in the midst of
the media bombardment was what is/are the sins of this easy going
gentleman of a Speaker? What did this man do that should precipitate
this kind of incalculable heat capable of melting even the hardest of
men. Did Speaker Uwajumogu kill anybody? Did he steal billions of
pensioners fund? What exactly did this man do that is so weighty and
abominable to warrant his extra-judicial “pen execution”
Well, the home truth is that the man did not do anything. He is a
victim of political desperation, the fever of which spread round media
houses in Owerri. And having caught the fever, most of them became
diarealic and started vomiting and stooling uncontrollably.
No doubt, this is a serious situation that requires urgent attention.
How come members of the revered 4th Estate of the realm, the watchdog
of the society are now willfully abdicating their responsibility to
the society? Instead of putting a little effort on investigative
journalism for accurate, balanced incisive and fair reportage many
journalists today indulge in what i call “hear and write” rather than,
hear and ask and investigate. This ugly culture is slow and steadily
making nonsense of the age old ethics of the profession, the type that
preempted Franklin Roosevelt, one time President of the United States
to argue that,” it is better society stays with the press rather than
politician”. For so long now, over one year to be exact, the Imo
polity has from time to time been awash with the issue of Imo
speaker’s so called defection to APGA. Which everybody knows is a
Political Gimmick designed by some members of the PDP cabal to
politically put the speaker in check..These same leaders mobilized and
went to court to seek redress, through Barr. COC AKAOLISA, the state
legal adviser of PDP at the federal high court Owerri
The matter of course has been on-going and both sides I am sure have
been attending sittings and dishing out evidence and exhibits to
authenticate their respective positions to the court. To the best of
my knowledge, the court hearing this matter is yet to make formal,
judicial pronouncement. Again, am unaware if any date has been fixed
for the judgment that may or may not bring an end to the issue at
stake.
In saner climes and democracies, the mere fact of this matter still
pending in the court of law presupposes that all parties must allow
the rule of law take its course. In Nigeria, our own understanding and
application of that hallowed principle is to the contrary. Nigerian
politicians are always, arising from uncontrolled desperation want to
drag the rule of law to the mud. They have a condemnable unquenchable
penchant for messing up the law. This to me is why the electorate
holds the view that our politicians are above the law. The politicians
are wittingly foisting a reign of impunity on the polity, oblivious of
the fact that when its dare consequences cascade down a larger chunk
of it would hit then. If the PDP, INEC and other interested groups
feel that speaker Uwajumogu left the PDP for APGA, then only the courts
can answer their prayers. INEC and Prof. JEGA cannot answer them.
President Goodluck Jonathan and even the National Assembly are totally
helpless on this. Like it is said, the court is the final arbiter on
this matter, No more, no less.
So, instead of dissipating energy, time and resources seeking backdoor
or short cut, these aggrieved parties should rather inundate the
courts with water tight proofs. With this the court would now decide
on whose side justice stands.
But, I have an inkling that these desperadoes lacks convincing and
weighty
evidence that could tilt the pendulum to their side. Obviously, this
is the only explanation for the maddening frenzy about declaring the
seat of the speaker vacant. It is a do or die tango and all means fair
or foul must be explored and tried. After all, it is the end that
justifies the means.
Anybody who takes a little time to ponder this macabre dance would end
up with just one impression. And that is that the huge lie and cry is
nothing but a maelstrom of desperation. Assuredly, it would one day
calm down, coalesce and purer into nothingness like earlier storms
that have arisen from the PDP against the person and
office of Hon. Uwajumogu.
Honestly, these desperadoes are indeed lucky. They are lucky because
the man they want to nail by all means is a gentleman politician. He
belongs to the class of the very rare but urgently needed breed of
politicians that can rise above base politicking, which has,
unfortunately become our albatross in this nation.
What is happening to speaker Uwajumogu never happened to his
predecessor but heads rolled like flowing water during his time. The
dictatorship was so bad and disgusting that even mere rumors and
sometimes, figments of imagination proved enough evidence to net out
harsh treatment on other House members.
Uwajumogu is not that kind of leader. He believes that variety is the
spice of life. So, under him there is no kind of discrimination or
divide and rule policy. What were sworn in are 27 lawmakers and of
every given time the decisions and actions of the House must reflect
this structure. This open door policy is at the root of the high level
of camaraderie existing amongst the lawmakers. It also explains why
almost two years into their tenure no serious friction that could
polarize the house had occurred. No lawmaker has been subjected to the
indignities of physical manhandling or suspension. And to crown it all
the speaker has said it for the umpteenth time that nobody would be
persecuted based on his political opinion or affiliation.
Surely, this worthy style of leadership has brought stability and team
spirit to the House. Just last week members of the House took up space
in newspapers showing their support and loyalty in a vote of
confidence for the Rt Honorable Speaker. Knowing the kind of dirty
politics played here, the current war being waged against the speaker
would have provided enough alibis for his colleagues to upstage him.
But, as we saw last week they shunned that option. They chose to stick
together as one indissoluble entity thereby confounding their critics
and enemies.
It needed to be pointed out that this love for the speaker has deep
rooted foundation. It never came overnight. Any regular visitor to the
parliament would have noticed the sorry state of that complex before
this House came on board. Infact, the embarrassing dilapidation in and
around the complex informed the first motion moved by Hon Luke Chukwu
of Ohaji\Egbema calling for the immediate renovation of the place to
make it habitable for human beings.
As a listening Speaker, Hon Uwajumogu promptly took up the challenge
and in less than one year posted some astounding results.
The House chamber has not only undergone complete renovation but also
a new executive chamber\VIP Lounge has been added, boasting of state
of the art facilities and furniture.
One Major positive side of this new addition is that it has opened the
legislative space as any principal officer can how chair executive
sessions unlike in the past when the office of the Speaker served that
purpose. No doubt it made him the be-all and end-all and we were
living witnesses to what transpired then.
It would sound unbelievable but it’s true that most lawmakers lacked
offices prior to the current leadership in the House. For the staff
and other categories of workers, the case was even most embarrassing.
Daily they milled around the corridors and walkways of the complex
creating a scenario of a market in full swing. Today these manmade
problems have become history as honourable members and their staff and
aides can now boast of good offices.
Above everything, Hon. Uwajumogu has instilled a reign of
accountability and transparency never before witnessed in the
legislature. At the beginning of his leadership, I guess there were
initial hiccups of gaining members confidence because many of them
never knew his background very well. But, as time went on, the
confidence and trust was won and the result is what we are seeing at
the moment.
These and many other innumerable good gestures at the Imo State House
of Assembly and okigwe zone are the sins of the Rt. Hon Speaker. That
is why the hounds are baying for his blood. From all indications, they
are in for a shocker as the man in the eye of the storm is poised to
continue on this path of bequeathing lasting legacy to posterity. YES,
IT IS TRUE
Samuel Emeka Chukwunonye
Imo State House of Assembly Correspondent
