100 DAYS IN OFFICE: Uzodinma, Akaolisa and Politics of Exclusivity in Imo

*AN OPEN LETTER TO BARR. CYPRIAN OKECHUKWU CHARLES AKAOLISA*

Uzodinma, Akaolisa and Politics of Exclusivity

Calvary greetings to you my most distinguished honourable commissioner for justice and attorney general, I am very optimistic that this letter meets you in good state of health.

I am confident and hopeful you must have settled down to the daunting challenges of your office as the chief legal officer of the state. I recieved the news of your appointment with sense of fulfillment and joy, because I have no doubt whatsoever in your capacity to effectively and efficiently discharge your primary responsibilities with dignity. In fact, I strongly hold and very convincingly too, that you are among the very few appointees of the governor whose appointment is most meritorious, deserving and equally has all it takes to add exceptional value to the system. A complete square peg in a square hole!

Sir, I know at this point you may be wondering the essence of this love letter to you, as we may not have met in person, and I am also not a fan of your political ally and friend, Senator Hope Uzodimma. Of course, I am not a member of your political party, All Progressives Congress, APC.

But it may interest you to know, that I have passionately followed you from your days in PDP, where I developed profound and unquenchable sentimental attachment for your strong advocacy for rule of law and internal democracy in political party administration nay governance. Even after you left our party, PDP alongside your current boss Senator Hope Uzodimma to APC, I had remained one of your distant admirers and ardent followers on your Facebook account. No doubt, you had dedicated the greater percentage of your time to advocate for good governance in our dear state as well as providing credible opposition to the administration of former governors Owelle Rochas Okorocha and Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.

As a prominent political stakeholder in Imo State and a notable opposition leader prior to the emergence of Governor Uzodimma as governor, you have at different times made critical submissions on how government can build an all-inclusive political structure, in an atmosphere devoid of vindictive leadership, bitterness and winner takes it all mentality. As a fearless anti-corruption crusader and political activist of repute, you have never hidden your obsession for political high handedness and administrative rascality.

It was on this premise, that your appointment as commissioner of justice and attorney general by Governor Uzodimma was held by well-meaning Imolites as one of the best decisions in the choice of his appointment. It is widely held, that as an experienced legal practitioner, seasoned political administrator and astute anti-corruption activist, you will provide the necessary technical support for the overall success of this administration. I strongly believed, you will be the conscience and moral compass of Governor Uzodimma’s led administration given your long battle and enthusiasm for the enthronement of good governance and rule of law in Imo State.

As you will agree with me that by April 23, 2020, Governor Uzodimma would have spent his first 100 days in office, and it is on this premise I most sincerely wish to draw your attention to some few developments in an administration you are serving as chief legal officer which clearly contradicts your opinion and position perior to your appointment as a government official.

Sir, I am aware you once condemned the duo of Rochas Okorocha and Emeka Ihedioha for running our local government system with transition committees, sole administrators or interim management committees. You had rightly held, and I believed you that the administration of our LGA system with transition committees or whatever nomenclature other than elected council officials is not only unconstitutional but illegal and an affront to the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria. I had believed, as chief legal officer you would have practiced what you preached. I must confess to you, that the appointment of IMC members and their subsequent inauguration by your government broke my heart.

Secondly, I was further disappointed when I personally reviewed the appointments so far made by the governor. It was disheartening when I discovered that all the appointees from senior aides of the governor to commissioners, special advisers, senior special assistants as well as the recent IMC members across the state were all drawn from your immediate political family otherwise known as CampHope. I was further alarmed at the discovery that no member of the APC Coalition and the Rescue Mission political families were considered for any appointment contrary to your advocacy for political inclusiveness. I recalled one of your posts on your verified Facebook account *Cyprian Okechukwu Charles Akaolisa* on December 19, 2019, wherein you strongly criticized and condemned the then governor, Emeka Ihedioha, for running a government of winner takes all.

From all reliable sources, I was made to understand that you and two other senior aides of the governor, determine who gets what and when. As a man who has been in the forefront against political high handedness and government of my family my family, or my friend and my people, how come you have changed just barely three months in office? The same source claimed you and the two others are the brain behind the exclusion of the like of former Governor Rochas Okorocha, Prince Eze Madumere (former deputy governor), Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba, Sir Jude Ejiogu, Sir George Eche, Dr. TOE Ekechi, Hon. Jasper Azatalam, Barr.Chima Anozie, Air Commodore Peter Gbujie, Dr. Hilary Eke, Hon. Chike, Okafor, Hon. Ugonna Ozuruigbo, Hon. Kingsley Uju Chima, Senator Ararume, Barr. Chris Nlemoha, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu to name but a few, from the activities of the government. My heart bleeds, that a man I hold so dear as a political role model for his sustained campaign against politics of exclusion and winner takes all, could turn around to superintend the mother of all exclusion and policies of myself for myself. What a disaster?

For the sake of clarity, permit to reproduce in full, your admonition to Ihedioha on December 19, 2019 with the subject below: *POLITICS OF DO OR DIE AND WINNER TAKES ALL- A REFLECTION ON THE OKPALEKE THESIS OF TODAY.*

“I was awoken from slumber this morning by the beautiful rendition of our great American trained learned mind my own prof. Okpaleke on the death of Senator Ben Uwajimogu who died from a protracted heart ailment that he carried with dignity humility and peaceful condor that many for years never knew about. I have known been since 1981 when he came back from America to visit us at Aba campus of Imo state University. Though his father was the popular chief Uwajimogu of the mbakwe government era, nothing in his demeanour showed the arrogance of the children of the super rich. He was a common boy who played with his common friends and gave his all to make his friends happy. Ben was a good man.”

“Though my purpose of this thesis is not to eulogize him it is proper to state that I was the state legal adviser of SDP when he was made the local government party chairman of Ihite-Uboma. He was a member of our state executive with Dr Alex Obi who was the local government party chairman of Aboh Mbaise. I remember him as a good politician who cared for his people and was disciples and loyal to the core. It was upon characters like him and others that we build the strong foundation of our Arthur Nziribe CARRIA STATES political movement of the time. Ben as a person and as a politician was respectful and responsible.”

“Back to my issue of the day. Okpaleke raised the issue of politics of do or die and winner takes all. I am interested in the issue of winner takes all which has destroyed our political landscape giving rise to the issue of do or die. If a politician realises that our quest for power is to serve and that political parties are instruments towards that, they will be less inclined to a do or die attitude to election.”

“When executive governors can make appointment into offices across political divides in the state to show that we are all one then we shall have less tendency for do or die inclination. The fight to Remove Rochas in Imo was a pan Imo affair involving all political parties in Imo state. All governorship aspirants entered the raise to lend their wealth and capacity to the fight against Rochas. It was this combined effort that gave rise to the Ihedioha declaration as governor. Instead of forming a pan Imo government, the Imo PDP saw it as a winner takes all, provoking the other parties and their candidates to go to the tribunal to challenge the declaration.”

“One had expected that by the spirit of the fight against Rochas, Ihedioha would have reached out to the other political parties like Apga, Apc and co in forming his government. The attitude of PDP in that respect was very disappointing and epitomised the condemnable winner takes all mentality that has raised the level of opposition to the Ihedioha administration.

To stop the do or die attitude by our people, winners of election must be magnanimous to accommodate other parties for peace and progress of the state. When you ascribe victory to your party alone and eat alone obviously you will die alone. Victory is sweet and the flavour lasting when shared and eaten together. As Imo PDP eats alone today so will it die alone tomorrow.”- the end!!!!

Following the current developments in the government you are serving as a top and prominent official, it beats my imagination whether you are actually part of the government, or you have realized the sweetness of winner takes all.

Finally, it is the intention of this letter to wake up the sleeping Akaolisa to stand up on time to defend his personal moral credentials and antecedents as an advocate of good governance, rule of law and more importantly government of inclusion. The integrity of a man is defined by his ability to practice what he had hitherto preached.

Thanks.

*FRANK UCHECHUKWE UDEH*
Ubachima Awo Omanma, Oru East LGA

– NewsTrack made input to the title of the article, otherwise the content is of the opinion of the author.