■ 2011 injustice against Okigwe zone should be redressed
Nigeria’s first Professor of Landscape Architecture and member of Orlu Zone Council of Elders, Prof Ukachukwu Awuzie has given insights on how political power, especially the governorship position in Imo State, can transit from one geopolitical zone to another seamlessly. He made this known during a media parley with select journalists in Owerri.
According to Awuzie, the first thing is to ensure that no person from Orlu zone where he hails from aspires to succeed incumbent Governor Hope Uzodinma in 2027. It would be recalled that Governor Uzodinma himself has openly endorsed this same idea in several fora. Awuzie noted that such action will pave the way for Okigwe and Owerri zones to dialogue on the way forward.
He explained that : “even at the Orlu Zone Council of Elders, our position is that Orlu zone should not run for the 2027 governorship election in Imo State. The election should be left for Okigwe and Owerri zones. But zones should sit down and dialogue on the way forward.” He stated, however, that “Orlu zone is not part of any announcement whatsoever that Owerri zone has been promised to take over from Governor Uzodinma. There was no such thing.”
The former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) further debunked the assertion that in the past, Owerri zone had always assisted other geopolitical zones in the State to achieve their governorship aspiration,describing such a claim as baseless and untrue. He made it clear that the only governor Owerri zone was very instrumental to imposing on Imo people was Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
In his words – “Owerri zone imposed Rochas Okorocha on Imo people. If you were at the Dan Anyiam stadium the day Okorocha was sworn in,you would have noticed how Martin Agbaso walked in triumphantly as a king maker. He did hide the fact that he and his Owerri zone people brought in Okorocha. That was why he gave Okorocha his younger brother, Jude,as deputy governor. They can not, therefore, turn around and claim that they donated power to Orlu zone in the past or Okigwe zone in 2011. It is a fallacy. They don’t have such powers.” Awuzie stressed that the truth remains that political leaders in Owerri zone truncated democracy and Okigwe zone’s tenure in 2011,positing that the incident remains a sore point in Imo’s political trajectory and is the cause of the State’s governorship quagmire to date, stating that such injustice must be redressed if the governorship upheavals in the State must abate.
Prof Awuzie opined that “if Okigwe zone through former Governor Ikedi Ohakim had completed the eight years tenure, the position would have gone to Owerri zone seamlessly. Nobody eats his cake and gets it back. If we must go to equity, we must go with clean hands.” He reiterated that “Owerri zone was instrumental to Ohakim not getting to complete his constitutionally guaranteed eight years tenure. Check in all South East States where the so-called equity being bandied about is practised in principle – is there any of them where a former sitting governor served just one tenure? Was any of those past governors better than Ohakim? Not at all. Owerri zone set Imo backwards by their ill-thought out actions in 2011. If we want to talk about fairness and justice, then we should allow Okigwe zone to complete their remaining one tenure by 2027.”
The National President of Alaigbo Development Foundation, however, added a caveat to Okigwe zone’s aspiration for 2027 Imo governorship, pointing out that any Okigwe zone candidate to succeed Governor Uzodinma should serve for only four years – and not eight years in order to accommodate Owerri and Orlu zones’ interests thereafter. Let me make it clear – “Orlu zone can not wait for more than 12 years after the incumbent governor’s exit by 2028 – that is, first, Okigwe zone’s four years plus thereafter, Owerri zone’s eight years Anything short of this arrangement will be unacceptable to us in Orlu zone. That is equity,fairness, and justice,” he asserted, adding that “the present so-called Imo Charter of Equity is a hoax and has outlived its usefulness because it is breeding unnecessary confusion.” He expressed optimism that “once this proffered arrangement is agreed upon, all the noise making about who succeds our incumbent governor will automatically cease. But anything to the contrary which will short-change Orlu zone in any way will be resisted.”
He also advised all the sociopolitical groups in Owerri zone agitating for Imo governorship, particularly the Imo Harmony Project (IHP), to be circumspect,reasonable and responsible, in the manner they pursue their agitation, and stop attempting to rail-road Governor Uzodinma to pander to their dictates. He described IHP as a self-serving entity that does have the interest of Imo people at heart – “You can not be answering Imo Harmony Project while your membership is clannish and populated by only Owerri zone indigenes – not even everyone in the zone belong to, or believe in whatever they are doing. Orlu and Owerri zones are excluded,yet you use the name “Imo.” The name Imo means that you are harmonious with all parts of Imo State. You can not harmonize Imo without Orlu and Okigwe zones – who are to do that without Orlu zone?”
Prof Awuzie singled out Barr Willie Amadi for reprimand over what he described as Amadi’s “penchant for reckless utterances,” pointing out that the latter’s “constant insults on Orlu zone and her people must stop.” According to him,Willie Amadi “once insulted all of us in Orlu zone by saying that God is angry with all of us – that we have held governorship for 24 years. Such a statement technically condemned even the yet to be completed eight years tenure of Governor Uzodinma. He was invariably cursing and abusing Orlu zone for something his own people in Owerri zone aided and abetted. That was a very unreasonable statement from someone who parades himself as a spokesperson of IHP. As far as I am concerned, Willie Amadi is doing more harm than good to the image of the group and whatever they are pursuing,” he averred.
Awuzie implored political leaders in Owerri geopolitical zone to take a cue from the viewpoint of Prince Bob Njemanze, whom he described as a courageous and wise elder statesman. “Bob Njamanze has made it clear that the easiest way to Owerri zone governorship is by allowing Okigwe zone to complete its truncated tenure from 2027 to 2031 through Ohakim and thereafter, take their turn seamlessly by 2031,” he asserted, reiterating that “any Charter that is not holistic and based on fairness, justice and equity can not be binding on Imo people. It is a matter of good conscience,and we ought to act accordingly. Prince Bob Njemanze tried to let us know all these, but they called him a bad name. But, he has said it all from the beginning – going through the route of equity, justice, and good conscience is the key.”
