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Tag: Obiano

  • Obiano, Okorocha in ego war

    Obiano, Okorocha in ego war

    Correspondent OKODILI NDIDI examines the face-off between Anambra State Governor Willy Obiano and his Imo State counterpart, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, and its implications for the Southeast integration

    In the last few weeks, the public was inundated with a bitter press war between Governors Okorocha of Imo State and Willie Obiano of Anambra State.

    The two governors stopped at nothing to drive home their anger and animosity against one other, while the national dailies buzzed with headlines to capture the heat of the moment.

    What started like a mere exchange of unpleasant words between the governors escalated to a full blown media war that threatened the economic and social relationship between the two states.

    The governors did not hide the fact that there was no love lost between them as they freely used all manner of unprintable words to undermine one other, without minding the reaction of the public.

    The battle started after a stakeholders meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held in Owerri, where Okorocha disclosed to his audience that three governors in the Southeast were ready to defect to the APC.

    The Anambra Governor, in reaction to Okorocha’s claim, described him “as everything a leader should not be”.

    This drew the anger of the Imo State governor, who responded with equal bile and taunted Obiano as “an aggressive individual and a drunkard, who should have done better as a militant than a governor”.

    The exchange of uncomplimentary words continued until the Anambra governor announced his tactical withdrawal by describing the scenario as a “politically motivated distraction”.

    Before then, Obiano was asked to make public his achievements in office by Governor Okorocha as a yardstick to measure who is a better leader between the two Governors.

    But, beneath this sudden outburst of anger, lie a deep-seated cold war between the two governors. Obiano has reportedly snubbed the Imo governor as the oldest serving governor in the zone.

    He has tactically avoided all meetings of the Southeast Governors convened in Imo State or any other state.

    It was gathered that his animosity against the Imo governor, started immediately after his election because of Okorocha’s support for Senator Chris Ngige, who was the APC governorship candidate.

    Okorocha, during the election in 2013, mobilized both physical and financial support for the APC candidate against Obiano, who is of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    Since then, the relationship between the two governors has been far from cordial and it has continued to nosedive. In 2015, during Okorocha’s re-election, Obiano, who vowed to stop him in retaliation of his support for Ngige during his only election, also mobilized huge funds for the APGA candidate to challenge Okorocha’s re-election.

    Another reason adduced for the faceoff was Okorocha’s defection from the APGA, the platform with which he came to office to the APC, which was fiercely criticised by Obiano who saw the action as a betrayal of the Igbo party and identity.

    And most recently, the two Governors fell further apart after Okorocha vowed that the APC will sack Obiano in the 2017 governorship election.

    Obiano has distanced himself from all efforts by the Imo Governor to bring the Southeast governors to forge a common front.

    The press war maybe beyond mere exchange of unpleasant words. What played out between the two Governors maybe a campaign chip of the APC, judging by the damage it may have done to the psyche of the Obiano camp.

    The most damaging and calculating blow released by the Imo Governor against Obiano, was his demand that he should publish his achievements.

    In Anambra state, different socio-political groups have re-echoed the demand that Obiano who has been accused of non-performance should list his achievements in the last four years.

    Having apparently woken up to the ploy, Obiano quickly called off the war to concentrate on the campaign for his re-election slated for November this year.

    Observers are of the opinion that there was more to the war of words between the two Governors than meet the eyes. Some are of the opinion that it was externally motivated to clip the growing political sagacity of the Imo Governor and also to undermine any effort to unite the Southeast Governors.

    The faceoff, according to observers, will have a far reaching effect on the Igbo question. For instance, while the battle lasted, the governors were supported by their people, creating a situation of mutual distrust and acrimony between indigenes of Imo and Anambra states.

    Igbo leaders and other stakeholders also feared that it would further polarise all Igbo groups that were beginning to come together under the new leadership of the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo.

    To this end, many pan Igbo groups including the Igbo Youth Council (IYC), the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), among others, quickly condemned the situation and called for a truce.

  • Obiano, Okorocha in proxy battle for Southeast

    Obiano, Okorocha in proxy battle for Southeast

    Despite political differences, the relationship between Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State and his Imo State counterpart, Rochas Okorocha, used to be cordial. Not anymore. Observers believe there is more to the recent face-off between them than meets the eye. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI looks at the development and the growing political prostitution in the Southeast, ahead of elections.

    IT is more easily understandable, within the context of Nigerian politics, when governors quarrel with their predecessors over the running of the affairs of a state or the sharing of the spoils of office. But it verges on the ridiculous when the governor of a state begins to slug it out with his counterpart from another state and decides to make it a media affair. This was the feeling of many observers recently, when Governors Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and Willie Obiano of Anambra State decided to wash their dirty linens in public, rather than face the responsibilities of governance in their respective states.

    War of words

    Okorocha, 54, inadvertently started the verbal war with the statement credited to him during the Southeast stakeholders meeting of the APC in Owerri, to the effect that three out of the four other governors in the zone would soon defect to the APC. The assertion did not go down well with Obiano and he strongly condemned it. Obiano, who responded through his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr. James Eze, said Okorocha had not provided the kind of leadership that would make Igbo people to join him in the APC.
    Equally angered by the Anambra State governor’s remark, Okorocha reacted through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, saying: “That kind of motor park language was unexpected from a governor of a state…” From that point, it became an ego battle between the two sides, as their media aides threw caution to the wind and started throwing brickbats at each other.
    Okorocha’s claim has also been debunked by other governors in the region. In his reaction to Okorocha’s claim, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State affirmed that he had already pledged his allegiance to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and that he is no plans to change his stance. Umahi, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Emma Anya, said Ebonyi is a PDP state and the party to beat in any election in the state. He added: “The person who made the statement should give us the names of the governors in question.”
    Similarly, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State denied Okorocha’s claim, saying through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Enyinnaya Appolos, that he is not one of those in talks with the Imo State governor. Only Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State chose to remain silent on the matter.
    Irrespective of the party differences, the relationship between Okorocha and Obiano had been cordial until the recent face-off. Apart from the two governors, their other three colleagues belong to the PDP. Observers believe there is more to this face-off than meets the eye. For instance, why did the Anambra State governor take Okorocha’s claim personal? It was the disparaging remarks he made on the leadership style of his Imo State counterpart that started the media war.
    In his reaction, Okorocha launched a blistering attack on Obiano, describing him as a clueless person who would do better as a militant than as a governor. Pointing to his achievements in business, economy and politics, the APC chieftain described Obiano as an analogue governor who is unfit to rule a state like Anambra, with its stirring political history.
    The statement from Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary said: “Governor Okorocha’s claim was a healthy one, expected to provoke sound debates, which is the beauty of democracy. Governors with ideas and the right exposure gave their polite reactions, but the one without ideas (Obiano) took to insults. Only men with nothing to offer in terms of ideas take delight in insulting others. Men of ideas do not insult others.
    “Leadership is all about ideas and service. Luckily enough, Obiano has been governor for almost four years while Okorocha has also been governor for five years now. Let Obiano publish his achievements in Anambra State, even with high internally generated revenue (IGR), and let Governor Okorocha also publish his achievements in Imo. Then, we take off from there.”

    New political bride

    The Okorocha/Obiano media face-off, according to political analysts, must have been motivated by the impending governorship election in Anambra this year and the 2019 presidential election. It is not a secret that the APC has been wooing notable politicians of Igbo extraction in recent times as a strategy to break into the Southeast, which remains one of the last strongholds of the PDP. The recent defections of some notable politicians from the Southeast to the APC are a pointer to this. Since the 2015 general elections where the APC defeated the PDP, it has continued to savour the benefits of being the ruling party, judging from the number of politicians that have joined the fold.
    Some other notable politicians who have joined the APC after the defeat of the PDP are: the former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo; former Senator representing Enugu North, Chief Fidel Okoro; former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji; ex-Controller of Customs, Mr. Tony Mba; former governorship candidate, Chief Gbazuagu Nweke Gbazuagu; former Senator Uche Ekwunife; former governorship candidate of the PDP in Anambra, Tony Nwoye; and former Labour Minister, Emeka Wogu. Others are: former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, Emeka Offor, Senators Ifeanyi Araraume, Andy Uba, proprietor of Peace Mass Transit Ltd., Chief Sam Onyishi and former Speaker of Enugu House of Assembly, Eugene Odo. The APC also has in its fold today, former governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, who defected from the Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA) in November last year.
    From every indication, the Southeast zone has become the new bride of the ruling party. It was perhaps this gale of defections that prompted Okorocha to say that at least three governors from the region would soon be defecting to the APC. This sort political prostitution is the norm among the political class in Nigeria and the Southeast is not an exception.
    Coming at a time the Igbo race is trying to reassert itself in the mainstream of national politics, the conduct of the two governors has reaffirmed the belief that selfishness, lack of cohesion and political naivety are the undoing of the Southeast. Many respondents from the region described the development as unfortunate.

    Show of shame

    An Owerri, Imo State-based socio-political commentator, Ferdinand Ekeoma, believes the verbal war between the two governors is unnecessary and a dent on their personality. He said: “I humbly advise Governors Rochas Okorocha and Willie Obiano to respect the pride and integrity of the Igbo nation, if they can’t respect themselves and the exalted offices they both occupy.
    “As far as I’m concerned, the ongoing verbal war between the duo is unnecessary, uncalled for, childish, and embarrassing to all of us who believe that it’s disgraceful, insensitive and disrespectful for two governors from two sister states, and from a zone that’s having serious political/leadership challenges to engage in this destructive and destabilising verbal warfare at this critical moment, when we should be striving to reorganize, unify and reintegrate our people into the mainstream of Nigerian politics and leadership.”
    The Association of South East Town Unions (ASETU) described the conduct of the governors as a shameful outing undeserving of their positions. It said the governors had drawn the attention of the public to some critical issues of governance in their states and urged them to do a sober reflection on how they have exercised the mandate entrusted to them. In his reaction, the ASETU chairman, Chief Emeka Diwe, said his group was worried that Okorocha and Obiano chose to cast aspersions on each other, and thereby bringing Ndigbo to ridicule.
    He said: “It is unfortunate that the two governors chose to throw caution to the wind by casting aspersions on each other, bringing Ndigbo to ridicule. As a grassroots organisation in Igbo land, we are worried that our governors chose to descend too low. We are the highest risk bearers. If there is good governance, we are the greatest beneficiaries; if there is bad governance, we are the most affected.
    “Now, we are forced to ask, does the South East Governors’ Forum still exist? Who is the chairman? Is there any form of cohesion or cooperation among Southeast governors? This is where our governors are not getting it right. Instead of our governors to cooperate to make life more meaningful to their people, they are quarreling over who will defect to this or that party. Why can’t they learn from their counterparts in the North and Southwest who aside party affiliations have always met to discuss issues of common interest of their blocs? We talk of Igbo presidency, is this how we are going to rule Nigeria?”
    Human rights activist and Board Chairman, International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety), Emeka Umeagbalasi, was even more succinct in his response. He attributed the development to the failed leadership in the two states.

    Failed leadership

    The Onitsha, Anambra State-based Umeagbalasi said governance has so failed in Imo State to the extent that Owerri is the only accessible city, out of the 27 local governments in the state. He said: “This is not to talk of mountains of abandoned key infrastructural projects littered across the state. The Orlu Road dualization project, for instance, which started as far back as in 2011, is still not completed. It is an act of impossibility in the state today to access and connect its 27 local government areas by road. The state’s inter local government/communal road network is a death trap and gets worse during the rainy season.
    “The free education programme of the state is also a ruse, owing to dearth of teaching staff, poor and unpaid remunerations and massively dilapidated primary and post-primary school classrooms. Mango trees and others have now been converted to classroom blocks. Imo State is also the most indebted state in the Southeast… Remuneration arrears of serving and retired workers in the state are either halved and paid through bailout borrowings or owed for several months and concealed.”
    The human rights activist said the situation in Anambra State, under the present Obiano administration, would have been noticeably different, if not for a saving grace enjoyed by the state in the areas of vast amount of massive infrastructural development, healthy civil service management and sound fiscal state bequeathed by the former administration of Peter Obi. He said: “Yet, in practical terms, the state has slumbered and stunted in its economic growth and development ratio and ratings under the present Obiano administration.
    “Today, a vast majority of the said key infrastructures, particularly roads, drainages and waterways are begging for maintenance and sustenance. The Anambra State’s debts stock is also on steady increase from its lower level of N11 billion as at March 2014.”
    Umeagbalasi said the Intersociety has also identified political elitism as the major reason behind the slow pace of governance under Obiano in Anambra and Okorocha in Imo. He added: “The two states are also bedevilled by governance by prototype, pretence and falsehood. In electoral democracy, nothing is hidden under the sun. A saying still goes that ‘a fowl with broken legs is not sold at homestead, but in a distance market or community’.
    “The totality of the forgoing has deeply saddened us and explained why we singled the two governors for condemnation, for having the effrontery to wash their dirty linens in the public instead of facing the governance responsibilities in their respective states.”
    The Intersociety board chairman said modern states usually mobilise and deploy their development resources in a manner that would not mortgage their future. He said: “Government indebtedness or borrowings have been out-fashioned and replaced by government and private sector partnership (PPP). Government also boosts or stimulates private sector growth by way of provision of industrial layouts, good road network, security, electricity and investment-friendly policies, including tax holidays and effective environmental-impact and safety management and standard controls. It is an indisputable fact in the world over that the private sector is the largest employer of labour and bulk of government revenues.
    “But, in Anambra and Imo States under Nigeria’s present democratic dispensation, the reverse is grossly the case. These explain why we are not surprised as it concerns the ongoing war of words between Obiano and Okorocha. The dispute is nothing short of noises from the two locomotive governors of the present time at disastrous expense of public governance and collective citizens’ security in Anambra and Imo States. If the two governors have really focused on the governance of their states, they would have little or no time engaging in open altercations and washing their dirty linens in the public.”

    Politics Nigerian style

    Okorocha probably knew what he was talking about when he told his audience gleefully that three Southeast governors are on their way to the APC. As a politician that has been active since the return to civil rule in 1999, Okorocha is well versed in the art of switching political alliances. He was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999, when civil rule was restored and competed in the party’s governorship primary for Imo State. But when he lost the ticket to Achike Udenwa, he moved to the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). After he contested for the presidency on the platform of the ANPP in 2003 and equally failed, he returned to the PDP and former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him as Special Adviser on Inter-Party affairs.
    In 2005, Owelle as he is fondly called floated a political party, the Action Alliance (AA), under which he contested the 2007 presidential election. Following his second unsuccessful attempt to become president, he returned once again to the PDP in September 2007 and sought to become the party’s National Chairman. Okorocha remained in the PDP after the failed bid, even though he had become uncomfortable once more, following his tussle for the leadership of the party in Imo State with the then Governor Ikedi Ohakim. Ohakim had returned to the fold in 2009 after contesting and winning the 2007 governorship on the platform of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA).
    Okorocha finally dumped the PDP in 2010 for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), to run for the April 2011 governorship election, which he won. In 2013, he left to become a founding member of the APC. Since the advent of the APC as a formidable political entity, he has been positioning himself as a national figure within the party in the Southeast. He has been consistent in his advocacy to reposition in APC in the region. Neither Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, the Minister of Science and Technology and former National Chairman of one of the legacy parties that formed the APC, the ANPP, the charismatic Minister of Labour Chris Ngige, could compare favourably with Okorocha, when it comes to promoting the ruling party in the Southeast. Thus, if anyone is in a position to know about politicians intending to jump ship in the region, the Imo State governor is probably the one.
    Obiano, the banker-turned politician on the other hand, entered politics in 2013 when he contested and won the Anambra State governorship election. The 61-year-old governor from Aguleri, Anambra East Local Government Area, received a bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from the University of Lagos in 1979 and a Master of Business Administration from the same institution. He began his banking career in 1981 at the First Bank of Nigeria before he left to join the services of Chevron Oil Nigeria Plc as accountant and rose to the position of Chief Internal Auditor. In 1991, he joined the Fidelity Bank as Deputy Manager and head of Audit unit and rose to the position of Executive Director on October 2003.

  • Are Obiano’s community projects worth it?

    SIR: Its homonym, the constituency project, is a discredited term in the public space of Nigerian political commentary. It is understood to mean a byword for legislative corruption and as an advertised support to popular representation, has largely been abused.  Much like the fog surrounding the self-awarded official entitlement of the sponsors, the modalities upon which our unique constituency projects are executed may only be described as esoteric. The federal legislator [the practice is pronounced at the first tier of government] acts like a sole administrator over the funds allocated for his constituency scheme. At best, the contraption is a device to assuage the biting hunger of Nigeria’s fourth republic parliamentarians to exercise some sort of executive authority, especially the power to award contract.

    In conception and execution, the Willie Obiano intervention in community development is a departure from the government – dominated approach which has tended to distort the policy and indeed reduce the local populations to spectators. The community projects, covering the 179 autonomous areas of the state and valued at N7bn are divided into two phases, each community is entitled to the sum of N20bn for each round of the programme.

    By mid-February, five towns, namely, Agulu, Amansea, Umueri, Anaku and Ezinifite had completed their tasks. Twelve other communities are set to follow suit with others at various stages of execution. Five towns are at the point of resolving issues on project, site and contractual decisions. However, the services embarked upon assume an encyclopaedic breadth. There are health centres, market stalls, road construction, civic centres, erosion control measures, printing presses, skill acquisition centres, oil palm and crop processing factories and many more.

    These injections have the potential of stimulating local economic activity even to the diversification of the rural economy. It is the setting for increased productivity, higher employment opportunities and rising incomes. At a time of national economic recession, the merit of these socio economic interventions cannot be over emphasized. The community development investment becomes the needed infusion for reflating the state’s economy.

    The socio political gains of the programme are no less significant. There is a place for equality of communities in governance.  It ensures that no town is left out on government’s empowerment mission and by fostering a sense of belonging, rallies the populations on the course of development and peaceful coexistence.

     

    • Ifeanyi Afuba,

    Nimo, Anambra State.

  • Okorocha snubs Obiano’s ‘tactical withdrawal’ from verbal war

    Okorocha snubs Obiano’s ‘tactical withdrawal’ from verbal war

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday demanded an unreserved apology from Anambra State Governor Willy Obiano as part of the conditions to end the verbal war between them

    He also said Obiano should publish his achievements in the last four years of his service to the state before he could accept the Anambra governor’s “tactical withdrawal” from the clash.

    Okorocha spoke after Ohanaeze President-General John Nwodo declared that the “press war is over “ after an intervention by the Igbo socio-cultural organisation.

    Yesterday, Okorocha’s spokesman Sam Onwuemeodo, in a statement, stated said: “Governor Obiano came up with this volte-face after he had launched unprovoked media attacks against Governor Rochas Okorocha. And allowing Governor Obiano to tactically withdraw from an unwarranted media war he declared, without apologizing to Governor Okorocha and without publishing his achievements as the governor of Anambra State for almost four years to show good leadership is totally unacceptable to us. And we make bold to ask for an unreserved apology from him because with the way he reacted to such an innocent comment, one could see that he was harbouring malice against Owelle Okorocha”.

    The statement added: “We appreciate the concern of some Igbo leaders and groups who had called for truce. Such Igbo leaders should also reason with us that it calls for concern when someone unreasonably declares war against you

    “It also surprising that Governor Obiano who took up “arms” against the Imo governor over an interesting claim he made that three governors in the South-East would soon join APC.

    “It is also difficult to be explained why a governor that has governed a state with high IGR for almost four years and with lean workforce is finding it difficult to publish his achievements at least to show that he is a good leader of his people and on the basis of that, he would be asking for a second term.

    “The common logic is that if Governor Obiano fails to publish his achievements, it means he has nothing to display and the interpretation of that development is that, he had lost the moral justification to ask for second tenure. And Anambra people should take cognisance of that.

    “For Governor Okorocha, he is in a hurry to use the challenge thrown up by the Anambra State Governor to show-case to Nigerians and the world at large, about two thousand verifiable projects executed by his administration in various parts of the state including the New city of Owerri. And we know that all that Governor Obiano has done in Anambra for almost four years now cannot be equated with two flyovers built by Governor Okorocha.

    “Governor Okorocha would also want, while publishing his achievements, also publish his profile to show the world that either Governor Obiano didn’t know him or he was not truthfully briefed about him or he was austere with the facts.

    “The profiles of the two governors would have shown that while Governor Obiano has First Degree in Accountancy and Masters Degree in Business Administration of the University of Lagos, Governor Okorocha has Bachelor’s degree in Law of the University of Jos, Masters degree in Law also of University of Jos, Plateau State, Post graduate Diploma in Management of the Benue State University, Advanced Diploma in Law, Security and Conflict Management. So in terms of education, Governor Okorocha is more educated than Governor Obiano. And as a responsible government, we restricted ourselves from talking about his personal life.

    “Again, Obiano began his banking career with First Bank and ended up as an Executive Director. He was later carried by some political godfathers on the back to the governorship seat in Anambra State in 2014. That is all about Governor Obiano.

    “Governor Okorocha has never told anybody that his beginning was wonderful. He was never born with silver spoon in his mouth. He didn’t have a straight school experience while growing up. He was involved in street trading. But he ended up having Master’s degree in Law. He made his first one million dollars when Balfour Beatty, the company that constructed Balanga Dam was winding up and he was one of the agents that sold used equipment. And he channeled the whole money into the business of used cars which gave birth to the sale of new cars which later metamorphosed into ”Rochas Motors”.

    After listing other Okorcha’s achievements and profile, the statement said: “In other word, we were right when we said in our first response to Governor Obiano’s attack that comparing Obiano with Rochas (Okorocha) is like comparing (Lionel) Messi of Barcelona F.C with one left winger in one Mberi Secondary School in Imo State.”

  • Ohanaeze wades into Okorocha, Obiano’s row

    Ohanaeze wades into Okorocha, Obiano’s row

    THE President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Nnia Nwodo, has said the press war between Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and his Anambra State counterpart, Willie Obiano, is uncalled for. According to Nwodo, “the press war is over. I have spoken to both governors and they assured me that the war is over.

    “The war was actually made worse by their press secretaries who were issuing statements that do not reflect their positions.” But despite this assurance, Governor Okorocha is challenging his Anambra counterpart to make public his achievements, adding that leadership is about performance. A recent statement by his Chief Press Secretary noted that, “Governor Okorocha has done everything to ensure that the southeast governors work together and he is too busy to have time to quarrel with anyone.

    “We are still insisting that Obiano should publish his achievements, because we are contesting about leadership and it is all about service and performance.” The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) also described the actions of the feuding governors as an embarrassment to Igbo ancestors, threatening to “we invoke the bitter wrath of our ancient oracles against them”.

    In a statement signed by the leader of the separatist movement, Uchenna Madu, MASSOB described the war of “dirty words” as a shame and insult to the Igbo race. �It said: “The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) is angry over utterances of Governor Willy Obiano of Anambra state and his Imo state counterpart, Rochas Okorocha in the last three days. The bitter exchange of words on their alleged failures as governors in their respective states is unacceptable.

    “MASSOB wish to remind the two governors that this public bragging and exchange of dirty words is a slap and insult to Ndigbo.” In a similar move, a youth group, the World Igbo Youth Council, also advised the two governors to stop washing their dirty linings in the public domain or risk the wrath of Igbo youths. The group, in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Mazi Alex Okemiri, said:”The duo should face the task of delivering the dividends of democracy to their impoverished people and stop wasting tax payers money on unnecessary media warfare. “Meanwhile, we have decided to wade into the matter to unveil the remote and immediate cause of the problem and we call on the two governors and their sympathisers to cease hostilities in the interest of Ndigbo .

    “We also call on the leadership of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, led by Chief Nnia Nwodo to intervene in the matter. This should be the first test of the capacity of the new Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership. The youth wing of the body which has been unduly quiet for some time now should also speak out on the matter now.” Also, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Dr. Victor Ike Oye, urged the warring governors to unite and fight for the cause of Ndigbo. Oye described the situation as unfortunate and uncalled for, urging Okorocha and Obiano to sheath their swords. “Okorocha is an Igbo man and a brother, not only to Obiano, but to all of us and we want him to corporate with others to build a homogenous society.

  • Okorocha, Obiano rediscover the art of the insult

    Okorocha, Obiano rediscover the art of the insult

    THERE are vague but frantic attempts to mollify the rage of two feuding south-eastern states governors. Governors Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and Willie Obiano of Anambra State have in the past one week or so been at daggers drawn over what began as a rather flippant but excitable statement by the Imo governor on the political future of the Southeast, and particularly the fortunes of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The feud has intensified in nastiness. But if the peacemakers succeed in pacifying the enraged governors, they would deny the country the chance of savouring afresh the art of the insult newly rediscovered in the region and served copiously and robustly to connoisseurs, an art until now thought to have been lost or mummified.

    Last Saturday, the intrepid Mr Okorocha, who had gambled insanely but insightfully on the APC winning the last general elections, had whispered in the ears of his audience at a Southeast APC stakeholders meeting that three Southeast governors were about to defect to the ruling party. He did not substantiate the statement, nor name the defectors, but cheerful that the APC was on the ascendancy in the region and exultant that his 2014 gambit proved remarkably prescient and fruitful, the governor went on to add that former Senate President Ken Nnamani had become the new APC leader in the region. Just like that. Though he offered no recognisable plank upon which that transfer of leadership was effected, his fellow Southeast governors, all of whom belong to other political parties, did not even take him to task on the supposed new leader. It was apparently not their business how the APC effected leadership change, nor why and for whom.

    But anxious that Mr Okorocha’s rumour of defection could cause tremors in their states, some of the Southeast governors took him to task, asking him to name the potential defectors. Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State merely countered by insisting that he had pledged his future to his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and entertained no wish to make a change. Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State also suggested that he was going nowhere, asking Mr Okorocha to name those supposedly immersed in talks with him over defection. However, the defection talk drove Anambra’s Mr Obiano up the wall, and he went on to insinuate that the Imo governor had done nothing of substance to elicit anyone following him to the APC. Mr Okorocha is of course never one to take a challenge lightly. Indeed, he focused on the vituperative riposte of the offended Anambra governor who described him in very unflattering language as a person destitute of leadership qualities. Thus began the heated exchange that is agitating the entire Southeast and baffling the rest of the country.

    Governor Obiano was the first to fire this broadside in response to the Imo governor’s announcement: “The question should be, has Rochas Okorocha provided inspiring leadership for the people of Imo State under APC? So, why would any governor in Nigeria heed Okorocha’s call? Okorocha is an example of what a governor should not be…” Wounded but not incapacitated, the Imo governor responded waspishly: “Owelle Rochas Okorocha has read with regret the media attack on his person by the clueless governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, over a harmless statement he made at the APC Stakeholders meeting in Owerri that three governors in the South-East would soon join APC. That Statement didn’t call for insult or any foul language. And two responsible governors in the zone, the Enugu and Ebonyi States governors were quoted to have reacted to Governor Okorocha’s claim and, as decent men, made their points without attacking the Imo Governor. But Governor Obiano of Anambra State spoke to justify or authenticate the general impression about him that he is an aggressive governor who should have done better as a militant than as a governor… Again, Anambra State that produced the first Nigerian president needs a digital governor and not an “analogue” governor, or one who staggers thinking about which leg to put forward first.”

    Stung to the quick, Mr Obiano authorised a long and hearty rejoinder even more scathing than the first one. Said he of Mr Okorocha: “They know him as a rabble-rouser who claimed to be a politician and flew the tricky kite of contesting for the presidency just to corner some change into his pockets and the records are there for everyone to see…Okorocha is widely known for his questionable past which has continued to trail him despite his hogwash attempts to cover it up with a facade of his bogus but empty philanthropic activities. Many people have over time seen through his tricks. Indeed, Okorocha is an example of what a leader should not be. He talks of ideas when he cannot pay workers’ salaries and now tries to intimidate Imo retirees to forfeit 60 percent of their arrears… Are those the kind of ideas we need at this critical time? Those are destructive ideas, and a destructive idea cannot bring about constructive ends. This is a Governor who has failed woefully to pay workers’ salaries. He is also heavily indebted to even pensioners who have spent their youth and strength to labour for the state, in their old age. As Nigerians ruminate on this matter, the question should be asked: What was Okorocha before he became governor? What was his visible source of income?”

    Few knew that below the surface glitz and glamour of the high and mighty and their marbled Government Houses lie fierce and untameable undertow of fiery insults and a sanguinary disposition to engage in verbal and epistolary jousting. The Southeast governors have obviously just disabused the minds of Nigerians. They are as impatient with one another as they are impatient with their subjects. They will give as much as take, and dispense intense and searing insults with the calamitous impact of an active volcano. They will spare nothing, absolutely nothing. The Southeast stakeholders meeting was conveyed to explore the chances of forging a common front and cause for the region in national politics. The fallout of the meeting and the insults traded by the governors have proved just how fickle and chimerical that unity really is.

    Of course, on a hypothetical tomorrow, the feuding governors will reconcile and pretend they did not ladle out spoonfuls of boiling oil on one another’s head. But they have done the country immense good by resurrecting a dying art, the cathartic art of the insult. Europe and America used to hold a comparative advantage in that bothersome pastime, and it was thought that the rising ascendancy, if not outright supremacy, of culture and religion had effectively barred Nigerian politicians from any excessive or open indulgence in verbal jousting. If the published insults did not come from the governors’ fecund press secretaries — for pressmen loved the art to distraction — then both Governors Okorocha and Obiano should proudly wear the epaulettes of masters of the acerbic art. But even if the aforesaid press secretaries were the authors of the abuse, it must be noted that the governors signed off on the releases that proudly bore their imprimatur.

    As the social media has proved by their crazy responses to the heated exchange between the two disputatious governors, Nigerians obviously take some perverse delight in the obscene display and deployment of angry phrases and wounding verbs. After all, the denizens of the social media are themselves aficionados of abuse and all sorts of crazy, intemperate insults. Politicians, especially such goody two-shoes as the former old Anambra governor, Jim Nwobodo, should beware lest their peace moves be misconstrued as an unwelcome effort to deprive the public of a blood sport they thought died with the last century. Nigerians can now exhale, insult is alive in Government Houses. Long live the art of the insult. And thank you, pathfinder governors of Imo and Anambra. It is a huge relief to know that both of you possess so much bile and rage, and that more importantly you had no desire whatsoever to bottle them up.

  • Okorocha challenges Obiano to present his scorecard

    Okorocha challenges Obiano to present his scorecard

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday challenged his Anambra State counterpart, Willie Obiano, to announce his achievements for the people to judge who has performed better.

    The two governors have been locked in a war of words following Obiano’s attack on Okorocha over his comments on the likely defection of three Southeast governors to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    A statement by Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, said: “For the second time in 48 hours, Governor Obiano has engaged in an unwarranted and unprovoked media attacks against Governor Okorocha.

    “The first attack was when he took on the Imo State governor over his claim that two governors in the Southeast would soon join APC. Obiano said the Imo governor was not what a good leader should be.

    “To us in Imo, we saw that statement as callous, especially when it was from a governor. We had no option than to react to it, to prove that such careless statement was uncalled for. We then challenged Obiano to publish his achievements in Anambra State for four years and let Okorocha publish his in Imo for five years, since leadership is about service to God and humanity.

    “But instead of doing that, Governor Obiano used the opportunity he would have appropriated to display his achievements in Anambra, if any, to call Governor Okorocha names; that is neither here nor there. We still maintain our challenge to Governor Obiano to publish his achievements as Anambra State governor and let Okorocha also do the same.”

    “Leveraging on his hard-earned popularity, Okorocha defeated an incumbent governor in 2011 on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which had no structure before he came on board and with the incumbent then enjoying massive federal might.

    “In 2015, he joined the merger from a zone that could be regarded as the ‘headquarters’ of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He resisted all the storms, including the federal might that was deployed against him and was elected for second term. They could only give him the name ‘Alhaji in Douglas House’.”

    Comparing the two governors, the statement said:  “Obiano is a governor; Okorocha is also a governor. Let them begin the contest by publishing their achievements in their states for Nigerians to see. It is not a noise-making venture or name-calling enterprise.

    “Anambra State has remained as Obiano met it. Awka, the state capital, has remained as Obiano met it. The Government House in Awka has remained like that. Let him prove us wrong. That is what we want to achieve.

    “Owerri, the Imo State capital, today has eight-lane roads, courtesy of Okorocha in his urban renewal programme. Douglas (Government) House has been remodelled and given a facelift; two fly-over bridges, three tunnels, 500 kilometres of urban roads, International Convention Centre (IICC) and remodelling of premier schools, all in Owerri.

    “Okorocha has built new universities, including Eastern Palm University at Ogboko as well as Aboh Mbaise/Ngor-Okpala University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Ihitte Uboma College of Education, Imo College of Advanced Studies, 800 kilometres of rural roads, 305 storey-building schools in the 305 wards across the state and 27 general hospitals.

    “Sam Mbakwe Airport is today an international cargo airport, the free education programme in Imo State has remained productive, the state has maintained its lead in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation (JAMB) applications and admissions since 2012. The record is there for verification.

    “The school enrolment has gone from 280,000 in 2011 to 800,000 in 2015 because of the free education. The poverty level in the state in 2011 was 57 per cent but in 2015, it came down to 19 per cent, according to United Nations (UN) report, because parents now channel the money they would have used to pay fees into other economic ventures.

  • ‘Why we’re supporting Obiano for second term’

    ‘Why we’re supporting Obiano for second term’

    Prince Innocent Ofordile is the President-General of Omambala Youth Forum. In this interview with NWANOSIKE ONU, he speaks on the preparations for the Anambra State governorship poll and the group’s support for Governor Willie Obiano.

    What is your assessment of Governor Obiano’s performance in office?

    Governor Obiano is  God-sent to Ndi-Anambra. Hence, the reason why he is living up to the expectation of Ndi-Anambra. It is a known fact in the public domain that his administration has recorded tremendous achievements in all sectors of governance, starting from security. It is said that when the righteous is on the throne, the people rejoices. Ndi-Anambra are truly rejoicing for the gift of Obiano to them at this point in time; a man whom his words are his bonds.  During the last 2013 election campaign, Obiano promised to harness the agricultural potential of our beloved state and he has done that within two years and 10 months in office. He pledged to complete all projects started by his predecessor and he did not renege on this promise. Awka as a capital city is now wearing the look of a befitting capital city of Anambra State, courtesy of Governor Obiano administration’s dividends of good governance. The Obiano administration has recorded what can best be described as a milestone achievement in our beloved state and he deserves commendation for such wonderful work  because it is said that “when you praise a human being for doing good, the praises will spur the person to do more.”

    What is your view on Governor Obiano’s security initiatives?

    Marvelous. Obiano started with security from the inception of his administration because he knew that security is the bedrock of sustainable development and that, without security, there will not be any meaningful development. Ndi-Anambra are currently enjoying the benefit of Governor Obiano’s security initiatives. In Nigeria as at today, Anambra is being referred to as the safest state in our country. So, Obiano has done well in the security sector. Ndi-Anambra has not had it so good like this before.

    What is your view on the decision of Tony Nwoye, Chike Obidigbo and Oseloka Obaze to contest the governorship election against Obiano?

    Their ambition is dead on arrival because the people of Anambra North are not in support of their inordinate and misguided ambition. They are spoilers and we, the Omambala youths, will not allow them to achieve their devilish plot of spoiling things for Obiano. They are nothing, but jokers.  These set of people you made mention of contested the 2013 governorship election against Obiano and Obiano trounced them. Chike Obidigbo and Oseloka Obaze lost to Obiano at the APGA primary. Tony Nwoye lost to Obiano at the election proper. Mark my words, they will loose again to Obiano. One good thing is that Governor Obiano’s achievement in Anambra State has endeared him to Ndi-Anambra and Ndi-Anambra will use this  election to appreciate his good works.  No sane Anambra  northerner will contest election against Obiano.

    The governorship election in Anambra is  gathering momentum. It was rumored that Soludo has joined the APC to contest the election and Soludo swiftly refuted the claim.  Ifeanyi Uba, Andy Ubah, Bath Nwibe, Chinwoke Mbadinuju, George Moghalu and many others have indicated interest to contest against Obiano. What do you have to say to this?

    Let me first of all commend Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo for swiftly refuting the rumour of his membership of the PC and governorship ambition. It shows that he is a man of honour that wants equity and fairness to be entrenched in Anambra political system. My promise to him is that this kind gesture to the people of Anambra north will definitely be reciprocated, what our people are saying is that Obiano deserve a 2nd term in office because the people of Anambra central senatorial zone enjoyed 2nd in office through Peter Obi. The reason why I will not support a fresh candidate from Anambra North is because the person will alter the yet to be entrenched zoning arrangement in our beloved state. The only way zoning will be entrenched in Anambra State political system is by allowing Obiano to complete his merited 2nd term in office and after that power will shift to Anambra South. Most of this people you reeled out their names as aspirants in the forthcoming 2017 governorship election participated in the 2013 race and Obiano defeated them. Be rest assured that he will achieve the same feat in this 2017 governorship election against them.

    What is your view on those attacking Obiano?

    In the meeting we just finished now, Omambala Youth Forum resolved to issue a stern warning to those beating the drums of war because of the forthcoming Governorship election in Anambra, in this regard, am using this medium to tell them to remove the hand of a monkey from a soup pot before it becomes the hand of a human being. Omambala Youth will not take it lightly with anybody that attacks Obiano. He is our father and we will not allow discredited politicians to pocket or disgrace him out of office. We are fully prepared for the forthcoming election and we will use our mobilization strength to return Obiano for a 2nd term in office. We are solidly behind Obiano.

    Election is usually marred with violence….

    The blame for the violence must be put at the door step of Abuja politicians. They go to the President and feed him with all sorts of lies on a bid to convince him to use Federal might to subvert the democratic will of the people and impose unpopular candidate on them. It happened in Bayelsa and Rivers State, but they met stiff resistance in those states. Ndi-Anambra will resist the use of Federal might to impose unpopular candidate on them. What we want is one man one vote and we will take every legitimate step for our votes to count. All this discredited politicians that defected to APC with the hope of using Federal might to rig the forthcoming Governorship election have Ndi-Anambra to contend with because we will not allow them to achieve their devilish plot.  Anambra witnessed unprecedented qualitative leadership under Obiano administration and Ndi-Anambra will use their vote to appreciate his good works in our state. What we want in Anambra is a peaceful, free and fair election, nobody will be allowed to compromise these three things.

  • Okorocha to Obiano: you’re not fit to be governor

    Okorocha to Obiano: you’re not fit to be governor

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday said his Anambra State counterpart, Willie Obiano, is aggressive and clueless.
    The Imo governor said Obiano would have done better as a militant.
    Okorocha was reacting to Obiano’s statement, which called the Imo governor “an example of what a leader should not be”.
    The Imo governor said Obiano had confirmed the impression that he was “an aggressive governor who is bereft of any …idea”.
    A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, said: “…Okorocha has read with regret the media attack on his person by the clueless Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, over a harmless statement he made at the All Progresives Congress (APC) stakeholders’ meeting in Owerri, that three governors in the Southeast would soon join APC.
    “That statement did not call for an insult or any foul language. Two responsible governors in the zone – the Enugu and Ebonyi states’ governors – were quoted to have reacted to Governor Okorocha’s claim; as decent men, they made their points without attacking the Imo governor.
    “But Governor Obiano of Anambra State spoke to justify or authenticate the impression about him that he is an aggressive governor, who should have done better as a militant than as a governor.
    “While reacting to Governor Okorocha’s innocuous claim, Governor Obiano said the Imo governor ‘is an example of what a leader should not be’. That type of motor park language was unexpected from a governor of a state, especially one who answers His Excellency, even when the Anambra governor did not explain what he meant by that. In what ways was Governor Okorocha not an example of what a leader should be?
    “Governor Okorocha’s claim was a healthy one, expected to provoke sound debates, which is the beauty of democracy. Governors with ideas and the right exposure gave their polite reactions, but the one without ideas took to insults. Only men with nothing to offer in terms of ideas take delight in insulting others. Men of ideas do not insult others.
    “Leadership is about ideas and service. Luckily enough, Obiano has been governor for almost four years while Okorocha has also been governor for five years. Let Obiano publish his achievements in Anambra State, even with high internally generated revenue (IGR), and let Governor Okorocha also publish his achievements in Imo. Then, we take off from there.
    “As governor, Owelle Okorocha came up with ideas and popular policies, such as free education at all levels, which has been working well in Imo; Community Government Councils (CGC), Urban renewal programme, Ikuola Nkwu, Imo Air, massive road networks, building of universities, infrastructural revolution, and so many others.
    “Let Governor Obiano mention at least one programme his government in Anambra State is known for, almost four years as governor.
    “We may, at this point, challenge journalists from the Southeast to embark on project tours of Imo and Anambra and make their findings known to the public.
    “Obiano, no doubt, has taken Anambra State several kilometres backward, while in Imo, Okorocha has raised the bar of leadership or governance. To say the least, comparing Okorocha with Obiano is like comparing Messi of Barcelona FC with the left wing player of Mberi Secondary School in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.”

  • Staff auditing: Obiano calls for patience, understanding

    Staff auditing: Obiano calls for patience, understanding

    Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has called on the staff of the Ministry of Justice to exercise a little more patience with the state government, over the on-going staff auditing and verification exercise in the state.
    He made the call through his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Strategic Communications and Legislative Matters, Prince Oliver Okpala.
    Okpala, who made this plea in Awka yesterday, explained that the exercise, which is already coming to an end, is to ensure that ghost workers who have been feeding fat from the state resources are flushed out.
    The governor’s aide said the exercise, which is in line with due process and zero tolerance for corruption by the Obiano administration, means well for the state workforce, as existence of ghost workers in the payroll has negatively affected staff advancement, welfare and progress.
    He assured that once this exercise is completed, genuine staff of the judiciary will be paid their 2016 leave allowances in full, without delay, as finances for this have been earmarked.
    He called on leaders and members of JUSON to refuse attempts to embark on any strike action or any other such act, in the interest of the existing peace and cordial relationship between the state government and the state civil service and reminded the staff of the judiciary that any action along that line will make them appear confrontational and against the long established cordial relationship of the Obiano administration and the state workforce, whereby he has consistently ensured that workers’ salaries and emoluments are paid.
    Okpala also urged JUSON not to allow itself to be used by political opponents of the administration in the state, adding that efforts should be made by all to maintain the partner- in- progress stance of the present government and the entire state workforce.