OKOROCHA IS IN A WRONG PARTY, THE WRONG TIME AND AT THE WRONG PLACE

First, let me most sincerely start by apologizing to all of you who missed the BIG TRUTH last week. I missed in action last week and I am really sorry for that. It was as a result of a certain circumstance that came up which was beyond my control. Meanwhile, I received torrential calls from a large spectrum of the fans of this column enquiring why I couldn’t writ last week. Some were even funny to have insinuated or expressed a very serious suspicion which may not be necessary to say here but I however assured and reassured them that what they thought was far from the reality. There were few others who called to find out whether if I am actually healthy or not. I appreciate your concern but the truth of the matter is that I am hale and hearty. It is just that I had an urgent assignment that unexpectedly took me out of the state, occupied my time and thus couldn’t allow me the benefit of time to really settle down to write. So I am sorry for that break in transmission last week. It was not deliberate. I also thank you for staying tuned. So let’s now take this flight together.

Actually, the theme of this week’s sermon wasn’t the package I initially had in mind. I decided to talk about it based on the same views expressed by the erstwhile Governor of Abia state Chief Orji Uzor Kalu in his interview at the daily Sun Newspaper of Thursday 18^th September 2014 concerning our Governor Rochas Okorocha. After reading through that, I got interested and aligned myself with his postulations. I now decided to add my voice to it not that my views would change the already difficult situation but at least for the interest of posterity.

Now, I was among those who did not receive the news of Governor Okorocha’s defection to APC with hysterics that it generated at the formation of the party last year August. In fact, I knew then that the Ogborko Ideato South born politician who said he was born an Igbo, grew up in the North and empowered by the West had made a monumental political mistake. I knew he had taken the wrong route in his political voyage. All the reasons he adduced then being his reason (s) for leaving APGA that is generally seen as an Igbo party fell flat before they were given and did not convince the lest discerning. However, after a thorough consideration of the peculiarities of Igbo politics visa viz that political miscalculation, you will recall that I quickly came up that time with an Article titled “APC DEAD ON ARRIVAL IN IMO”. I had advised the Governor to immediately revise himself to his former party APGA. Or even his former former party (PDP) or his former former former party (AA) before it is too late since he is an expert in this type of politics of abandonment as I felt that would lessen the unnecessary and avoidable controversy and hatred majority of the people of South East had on APC. He ignored that altruistic advice but now, I know this basic reality had downed on him. Since that time, he was said to have made a futile effort to rejoin PDP but was blocked though he had consistently denied it.  Recently, he also was alleged to have opened channel of discussion with the national Chairman of another political party for an accommodation in that party in order to prosecute his 2015 election perhaps just to run away from the APC stigma and curry the favour of his friend President Jonathan who has sworn never to have anything to do with any body in APC.

In any case, I do not want to be seen as crying more than the bereaved but why some of us keep drumming it in the ear of the Governor of this obvious political blunder is just for him to know that it is not always good to be inconsistent with membership of political parties and also we want to be counted as those who once told the Governor the unadulterated truth about the likely thing that will happen very soon. Otherwise, what is my business whether the Governor joins 10 political parties in one year or not. After all, he is already a Governor enjoying the dividend of his office and of course acquiring properties here and there.

APC as a political party, I keep saying it is not adequately penetrating in the South East over one year since its formation. A lot of impressions are being created around APC whether real or imaginary is what I cannot fathom and a lot of people are buying into it. And that might be the reason why it is only Governor Rochas Okorocha and also it is only in Imo state that the party APC is being heard with some degree of noise in the entire length and breath of the five South Eastern states. Equally, this may be the reason why some people are feeling concerned why our Governor is wasting his time and Imo money trying to propagate the party in Imo state. All efforts he made in the past to take APC to other sister state in the South East met brick wall. Right now, they said Governor Okorocha is giving or plans to give one million naira each to all the 36 state in the country every month for a reason I don’t know my brothers and sisters.

However, this is about the first and the only time since the history of the formation of political party in Nigeria that a party is formed and over one year later, almost all the leaders of Igbo nation are avoiding the party like a leaper. I stand to be corrected. In Enugu, Ebonyi and Abia states, I am yet to hear of any notable political leader in those states that is member of APC. In Ananbra state, it is only Senator Ngige that is a ‘notable’ leader who is a member of APC. Senator Annie Okonkwo has long left the party. In Imo state, Governor Rochas Okorocha and Senator Osita Izunaso are the only two commanders with fair whether followers. Honestly, I don’t know who put the Governor in this temptation of abandoning APGA, the only party that gave him his first ever electoral victory after many futile attempts in other parties. It is just a matter of few months now for him to begin to appreciate the facts which I am laboring myself to express here.

As a result of this lack of political insight, the Governor inadvertently, secured for himself some avoidable enemies immediately he dumped APGA and moved over to APC in the name of being the foundation member of the party. Right now, he has the president who, no doubt was greatly instrumental in his enthronement as Governor in 2011 to contend with in 2015. In addition, he also has his arch, original and highest opposition PDP to contend with in 2015. Also, his aggrieved former party APGA members who he left on the cold are threatening fire and brick stone, the political elites that he sidelined in the affairs of the state since he became Governor are all there and he has them  to contend with in his bid to return in 2015. Another group that he is not in their good book as a result f his membership of APC is his colleagues, all the Governors of South East. There is no single Governor from the South East that is Governor Okorocha’s friend and that is why he is always absent in their meetings. He is literally at war with Abia state Governor T.A Orji. Governor Willy Obiano inherited the sour relationship that existed between Okorocha and his benefactor and former Governor of Anambra state Chief Peter Obi. I don’t know whether he see eye ball to eye ball with Martin Elechi of Ebonyi and Sullevan Chime of Enugu states. So this is dangerous politically. What about the Anambra mafians like Arthur Eze, Emeka Offor, Ifeanyi Ubah etc who all came here in Imo state and assisted him in becoming Governor in 2011 but who are today his political enemies as a result of his membership of APC?.  This is just to mention but a few. So, I think bearing any future occurrence, when the chips are down as it will soon, the Imo state Governor will be fighting from all fronts.

Out of his usual showmanship, the Governor of this Eastern heartland lobbied and he was made the Chairman of APC Governors’ forum which is now showcasing him as leading the main opposition against his friend President Jonathan even when he knows the enormous constitutional powers of the president and also knows that the Governorship election would come two weeks after that of the president. Do you know what that means? Let those who have sense reason. If I were him, I should have stayed put in APGA and support the president for the sake of his position in 2015. Ca he fight all these array of political titans in Imo state in 2015? Well, maybe he has the magical wand. It is possible but no doubt, the Imo state Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha is in a wrong party given the political peculiarities of the Igbo nation and also given the long drawn battle between PDP and APC. I don’t think that Owelle Ideator needs to belong to a party that is antagonistic of the president because of the titanic political war he is going to face in next year’s election in Imo state having been surrounded by political enemies. Let him learn something from Peter Obi. A lot of people are not happy with his administration while there are many who seem to be with him now because of the lucre that comes from the government but are only waiting for the time of election. Ladies and gentlemen, there is fire on the mountain.

Anyway, for now this is about the size of our message for today. Until next week when I come your way same time, same medium, please keep partnering with this exposition in our commitment to allow TRUTH triumph over falsehood. And hopefully, it is only the same truth that will set us free. Ka Chineke mezie Okwu.

By Modestus Nwamkpa