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  • 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.

  • Nnamani is South East APC leader, Okorocha insists

    It appears that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South East has settled for the former senate president, Senator Ken Nnamani as its leader. At the zonal meeting of the party held at the Nike Lake Resort, Enugu, which was attended by those opposed to the choice of Nnamani, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State told party members that his choice of the former president was as a result of his antecedents. Okorocha said Nnamani has the capacity to lead the Igbo, just as Asiwaju Tinubu is leading the Yoruba today.

    He told the audience that, “they should disregard the talk of being a new member or old member, but consider the antecedents of the person involved.” According to him, the APC failed to perform well in the South-East during the last election because almost all the political heavyweights and actors in the region were in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    “All we need now is to come together and make the party formidable in the South-East than to dwell on the issue of length of membership, ” Okorocha counseled. Declaring the meeting open, the National Vice Chairman, South East, Emma Eneukwu harped on the need to come together for the purpose of taking over the South- East in the next election. He described the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State as Litmus test for the APC. “Our journey of taking over the Government Houses in the South-East must start from Anambra State.

    Therefore, all hands must be on deck. It is our collective project.” He announced that that over one million members have been registered in the zone since the beginning of the registration exercise. Eneukwu listed the projects currently being undertaken in the region by the Buhari administration. He listed the projects to include the Enugu – Port Harcourt road, Enugu – Onitsha road, Owerri – Umuahia road and Arochukwu -Ohafia – Abiriba road, among others. Those in attendance at the meeting include Senator Ken Nnamani; George Moghalu; Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister for Science and Technology and Chris Ngige, Minister for Labour.

  • 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.

  • 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.”

  • Igbo should forget presidency in 2019, says Okorocha

    Igbo should forget presidency in 2019, says Okorocha

    Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, on Monday urged his people in the Southeast geopolitical zone to forget producing the next President in 2019.
    He made the remark while speaking with State House correspondents after meeting Acting President Yemi Osinbajo with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
    According to him, Nigerians should support President Muhammadu Buhari for four or eight years in line with the zoning arrangement.
    He said: “What I do know is that Ndiigbo should talk about presidency after President Muhammadu Buhari. I think we should support this government. President Muhammadu Buhari has a tenure to work for, four years or eight years according to the zoning arrangement and everybody should follow the zoning although I am not an advocate of zoning.”
    He maintained that All Progressives Congress (APC) as a party is strong in the South East.

    He added: “We are trying to rebuild the party and redefine leadership so there will be no confusion. As to whether the APC in the South East is in disarray as the case has always been, we want to have a united party in the South East.

    “We are hopeful from all discussions that about two governors will be joining us in the South East to strengthen the party. Right now, we have agreed that Sen Ken Nnamani should take a lead of the party in the South East to enable us have a common understanding along with other leaders like Chief Jim Nwobodo.”

    On the denial that three governors in the South East will join APC, he said: “I don’t think it is true, but if it is true it is probably because it is not time. It could be because I spoke when they were not yet ready.”

    Also speaking on the insinuations that he (Rochas) is not worth to be the political leader that the South East should follow, he said: “Leadership is not in question, we have agreed that Ken Nnamdi should lead. So, it is not about Rochas Okorocha, I am a governor.”

  • Okorocha slams PDP over comments on Imo Airline

    Okorocha slams PDP over comments on Imo Airline

    THE Imo State government yesterday berated the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and an online news publishers, Sahara reporters for criticizing the newly-commissioned state Airline, Imo Air. The PDP had described the inauguration of the Airline as part of the state Governor’s 2019 Presidential ambition. But the government in a statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, dismissed the PDP as a “dead party ” .

    According to the statement, “we also take the floor to tell our audience that as we write, there is nothing like Imo PDP either in the eyes of the law or otherwise. So, any claim purportedly by Imo PDP is fraudulent and should be disregarded by men and women of goodwill”. The statement continued that, “the attention of the Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha and indeed, the Rescue Mission Government in the State has been drawn to some negative claims in the media purportedly by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the State and the “Sahara Reporters” against the inauguration of Imo Air, which, its maiden flight was celebrated by Imo people at the Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport on Tuesday January 24, 2017.

    “In the purported report, Imo PDP was quoted to have said through its Secretary, Nze Ray Emeana that the Governor acquired the aircraft for his 2019 Presidential election bid, and then queried the rationale behind the Imo Air Venture when pensioners and workers in the State were owed arrears of Salaries and Pensions. “For the suspicious claims credited to “Sahara Reporters” with regard to Imo Air we do not also believe that such poorly scripted blackmail could come from an organization like that. No reputable media outfit could come up with such Caption like “read, and Read and Read, Imo is a fraud” and without a byline. And they never quoted any verifiable source to back up their Claims. It was totally a frivolous story.

    They did the same thing in their unfortunate claim that the Governor had died following a slap by a female ghost few months ago. They also said the death claim was an outcome of investigation by “Sahara Reporters”. So, the Management of Sahara Reporters should take steps to evade invasions by some spiritually weak folks whose stock in trade is blackmail.

    “We also take the floor to tell our audience that as we write, there is nothing like Imo PDP either in the eyes of the law or otherwise. So, any Claim purportedly by Imo PDP is fraudulent and should be disregarded by men and women of goodwill. “At the moment, there are five factions of the Party in the State with each one having full-blown State – Exco and apex leader and they have been in Court for the Court to decide which of the factions should rightly Claim to be Imo PDP and until the Court makes pronouncement on that, it becomes an absurdity for anybody to be making fictitious media Claims in the name of Imo PDP.”

  • Okorocha splashes N9m on soldiers’ widows, legionnaires 

    Okorocha splashes N9m on soldiers’ widows, legionnaires 

    •Governor seeks support for Armed Forces

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday donated N9 million to wives of deceased soldiers and members of the Nigeria Legion in the state.

    The governor made the donation during this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration at the Hero’s Square in Owerri, the state capital.

    He said the fallen heroes had made Nigerians proud as a people and as a nation.

    Okorocha noted that words alone could not explain their patriotism and sacrifice.

    He said: “The nation knows what the widows of dead soldiers have been going through and would never forget them. Their husbands died so that the rest of Nigerians might have a peaceful nation. The development calls for love towards them, and we will continue to demonstrate this love.”

    The governor noted that “the nation has done well for celebrating its fallen heroes who died that the nation may stand”.

    He described the action of the dead soldiers as a “show of patriotism at the highest level”.

    Okorocha said: “Not far from now, Nigeria will be counted among the great nations of the world. We are going through a process or through a journey which most great nations had passed through to reach their Promised Land and Nigeria will not be an exception. I appeal to all leaders to learn to sacrifice in comfort of their lives and otherwise, that the nation can move forward.

    “It is appointed to all living creatures to die someday. So, what matters most is the legacy left behind and not death itself. our soldiers died as heroes and they have been celebrated as people who gave their lives for the unity of the nation.