ONWUASOANYA FCC JONES
After squandering billions of Naira to organise what he anticipated was going to be a mother of all flagoff campaigns, a grumpy and bitter Senator Hope Uzodimma is presently counting his losses and has reportedly mandated his close aides and political advisers to furnish him with a detailed report of their expenses and why the event was a major flop.
A fly on the wall did whisper to me yesterday that the first major indication that the event was billed to fail happened in the evening of Friday when Uzodimma received the visiting National Chairman of his Party, Alhaji Ganduje at the airport, like a political orphan and the unimpressed national chairman inquired from him where Imo leaders are.
Whatever made the man who is notorious for stuffing dollars in his overflowing clothes even as a sitting governor to be so blunt, even when minty Imo dollars were said to have been plastered on his feet as red carpet, must be serious. But that usually reliable fly on the wall told me that Ganduje queried Uzodimma thus; “Where are your people?” and Uzodimma couldn’t find an answer for that question as the national chairman went on to advise him to put his house in order, if he really wants to win the election.
Key campaign staff and strategists of CampHope were said to have held marathon meetings until very early in the morning of Saturday to see how they could rescue the bad situation, but it was already too late as the men concerned are not the kind of men that could be bought over with his usual 25,000 Dollars per head price.
Seeing that the flagoff had become irredeemable, the governor was said to have proposed to the national chairman that the theme of the event be changed to a campaign council inauguration rather than a flagoff, while he uses the next two weeks to see what he might rescue from the wretched political situation. All the old banners and other materials already printed which had Campaign Flagoff as theme was discarded and new materials were hurriedly printed and distributed.
If there was anything the PDP expected Uzodimma to fail at, it was certainly not a flagoff of his campaign. With all the resources of State at his disposal, it is shocking that he could put up such a disappointing outing, and while the PDP had always been confident about its victory in the November 11th election, the Party is now better assured that the victory will be easier than expected as it becomes clearer that even within Uzodimma’s closest circles, there is neither peace nor cohesion. Everyone is more interested in what they are going to put in their pockets rather than what they are contributing to the campaign, because everyone of them knows that they have a dead horse, which can’t be sold.
While Uzodimma grumbles and groans in apparent knowledge of an impending trouncing at the election, the PDP’s candidate, Distinguished Senator Samuel Anyanwu and his Deputy, Rt. Hon Jones Onyereri are fine tuning their victory dance steps and getting ready to put Imo back on the map of prosperity and civility.
IMO SHALL RISE AGAIN!
