Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has, for some time, remained one of the most talked about or criticized governors in the South-East zone. In a brief chat with newsmen, Godwyn Akabogu, Okorocha’s former aide, gives fresh insight into the personality and political philosophy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governor and other current issues, including political developments in Imo State and the South East zone in general. Sam Egburonu reports
GODWYN Akabogu could not take it when he was told that many Nigerians believe Governor Rochas Okorocha is too ambitious. “Some think he wants to become the leader of the Igbo race while others think he wants to be Nigeria’s President.” Even before the reporter could complete the statement, Akabogu interrupted: “You see, people don’t even understand who he is; to start with, my people, Imo State people, I will tell you without mincing words that they have been unfair to the Rochas Okorocha’s administration. Judging from what he has done in Imo today, I believe they are unfair to him.”
Explaining that he believed Okorocha’s public image does not fully capture the reality, he said: “You see, for the first time, I challenge every Imo son and daughter; let that person come out and show me, since the inception of Imo State, any previous government that has outperformed Rochas Anayo Okorocha in four years.”
Someone interrupted him there, pointing out that Achike Udenwa and Okorocha’s immediate predecessor, Ikedi Ohakim, reportedly did well.
He looked unruffled and said rather calmly, “all those people you just mentioned did their own quota, but whatever they did is nothing compared to what Anayo Okorocha has done in past four years. What Achike Udenwa did in eight years, Rochas Anayo Okorocha surpassed it in four years.
Those who say Okorocha is not working but only engaging in hoodwinking the people are simply charlatans. I can tell you authoritatively that Rochas Anayo Okorocha has performed well.
I have travelled the length and breadth of Imo State, the projects Okorocha has done speaks for itself. You will see all the projects Okorocha achieved and you will discover that all these things speak for themselves. Are you talking about roads? Are you talking about the schools he renovated; I mean, where would you start to access him? Then, cast your mind back to the previous administrations, what do they have to show for their governance; both Ikedi Ohakim and Achike Udenwa? And my pain is this; what the Igbo sons and daughters do not understand is that Rochas is the anointed son of the late Ikemba Odumegwu Ojukwu,” he said.
Again, he was corrected or rather challenged: “It is believed that former Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State is Ojukwu’s anointed son, politically.” He smiled and said emphatically, “Peter Obi is a later arrangement. I will give you a story which happened far back in the year 2000 in Rochas Okorocha’s home in Abuja. It was at a meeting and there was Sam Mbakwe, there was Ezeife, there was Ojelu Igbo Ozi and there was Dim Chukwemeka Ojukwu in attendance. Then you have the errand boys that were serving him then, people like myself, people like the present Chief of Staff, Uche Nwosu; people like Ogueri Nwerem, people like Shyna Iwuanyawu, people like Ideato Okolie…all these guys were in this meeting. And then, after Owelle Rochas Okorocha finished addressing these Igbo leaders inside his living room, Ojukwu said “My son, my son.”
On what Okorocha said that made Ojukwu to confer on him such a benevolence statement of appreciation, Akabogu said:
“He took Ojukwu down the memory lane and explained to him how it is easier to be a bridge between the east, the west and the north without going to war. He gave him an analytic precedent on how the Igbos could have consolidated their gains without fighting a war and that made Ojukwu to acknowledge that, the young man has intellectual prowess. However, the most inspiring one, which is the second encounter between Ojukwu and Owele Rochas Okorocha is the one which crowned it up and told us why Okorocha is the anointed and ordained leader of the Igbos. It was Ojukwu himself that said it: I will never cook such a sublime story up, the pictures are there; the people who covered that event at Aspanda in Lagos in 2001 are still alive. That is after the Abuja meeting. This meeting at Aspanda was convened by Eze Ndigbo of Lagos, Chief Ohazulike. At that meeting, Ojukwu and some other prominent Igbo leaders were there. Anayo Rochas Okorocha was there. It was Anayo Rochas Okorocha that introduced Ojukwu to the podium after giving an inspiring speech. After that inspiring speech, Ojukwu took the microphone, turned and looked at him; he said “My son, my son, the more I see you grow up, the more I go down.”
Reminded that it was Peter Obi that catered for Ojukwu up to his dying moment, he said, “He (Peter Obi) can afford to do all that because he rode on Ojukwu’s back. Obi became the governor on the back of Ikemba Nnewi. Hitherto, before that time, nobody knew who Peter Obi was. So, he rose on Ikemba’s back. But Ikemba, being a political juggernaut that he is, he knew who will take the Igbos to the Promised Land and all the statements I just mentioned to you now are subject to verification. The people that recorded the video of the event at Aspanda are alive and they can produce that video. Anayo Rochas Okorocha himself might not even remember all these statements; he may not remember all these other things I am tracing their history right now. But the history is there to speak for itself; they will listen to Ikemba’s speech himself at Aspanda because all those things were noted.”
So, why would he conclude today that Imo people are unfair to their governor? “They are unfair to Anayo Rochas Okorocha. This is a man who gave them free education; he gave them different kinds of infrastructural development, roads and lot of transformation. I saw this myself; it is not like hearsay. At the end of the day, why won’t you give honour to whom honour is due? Why don’t you give credit to whom credit is due? There is a saying in my local dialect, it says, “Ekele Onye akidi na ke ogworo, ya gwota kwa ozo,” which means “when you thank the person that prepared green beans for you, he would be energised to prepare another dish for you”. At Imo State what are they saying? Their slogan is this government of the family, by the family and for the family.”
This criticism notwithstanding, Akabogu insists that Okorocha remains the authentic Igbo leader presently, adding, “I don’t know the dream he has right now, but what I can tell you is this, if not Rochas Anayo Okorocha for President from the Igbo land, who else? I have had the opportunity of working with Senator Hope Uzodinma, I also worked with the political camp of Hon. Emeka Ihedioha; I had the opportunity of working with the political camp of Senator Ifeanyi Ararume and even with the political camp of Martins Agbaso and I can state unequivocally that none of them can match Governor Rochas Okorocha, all factors considered.”
