A Letter to my Governor - Ikedi Ohakim

By Che Oyinatumba

Dear Sir,
With great reservations, I address you as my governor. These reservations are hinged primarily on the appeal against your election by the duo of Hon. Uche Onyeagocha and Senator Ifeanyi Ararume. Be that as it may, you remain the governor till the Court of Appeal rules otherwise. Whatever be the ruling of the court, the people of Imo state knows whether you won the election or not.

Your Excellency, I did not vote for you, but when news about the transformation you are doing in Imo state, through your Clean and Green: the new face of Imo, I was excited that indeed something can come out of nothing. Further readings about your pet project, made me wonder if you are a fluke. I made a trip to Owerri, to see for myself, if these journalists are not merely sitting in Lagos, Abuja etc, receiving fat brown envelopes from your image makers and parroting a glowing tribute to you.

I have been to Owerri. To put it mildly your Excellency, Imo state is not “walking”! What I saw on ground, gave me reasons to question the award given to you by ThisDay Newspaper. I have expressed my earlier findings in an article By The Bank of Nworie, published at Which Way Nigeria

I want your Excellency and his image makers, who are chanting clean and green; to visit the following streets, take a close peep at their gutters (1) Royce Road, IMSU Junction through Wethrael Round About to Dan Anyiam Stadium; AMA JK by Tetlow; Orlu Road; Ikenegbu- Aladinma(from Cherubim end); all the streets in Owerri Nchi Ise. From the west end of Royce/Lagos Street though old Nekede Road (the stream under the bridge is as dead as Nworie); to NTA; IBC; Concorde to the state secretariat, grasses have eaten up the place, effectively giving green colour to the state. I shall climb ugwu ekwema and nakedly apologise to you, if your image makers can show these gutters to be functional.

These gutters indeed represent the clean and green slogan of this administration. The waters are stagnant and green. None of these gutters above flow. They are condusive breeding grounds for mosquites and other vectors that makes rubbish the painting of the walls of Owerri, white and green. If cleanliness is next to godliness, Imo state if far from the “gods”.

If the dog can do this to her child, how much more the son of an antelope? The outskates of Owerri are dump sites. There is an LA primary school, belonging to TTC Irette. This primary school, housing primary 4, have been eaten up by refuse. Same applies to Amakohia- Akwakuma; Oji, with her untarred roads is no better. The conceived new Owerri (Umuguma) is a grave yard of dinosaurs. Even Akabo through Atta (Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu’s home town); Ahara Junction, Isiala Mbano (Ohakim and INEC Maurice Iwu’s home town), are all eaten up by green grasses and refuse.

Another interesting observation, is the sprouting of green umbrella by the walk way. I learnt that you descended with El-rufai zeal to rid Owerri, of roadside shops, demolishing and terrorising people. Despite your “shakara”, you merely sold a dog to buy monkey. The enforcing of use of green umbrella, does not in anyway, make it less than street trading.

My governor, I shall not point you to the fact that there is unemployment ravaging Imo state. Your education Commissioner should have told you that Imo state has the highest number of Jambites, yet there is no commensurate employment after graduation. Furthermore Sir, the increasing crime rate in Owerri, is a source of concern. As you know, these petty criminals have graduated from bank robbery to kidnapping, revoking the memory of Imo under Obicheozo, Amamze and co. (Otokoto era)

Sir, I gathered through the grapevine that your inability to move fast and decisively to solve these problems is because of your uncertain mandate. I disagree. All your profiling by your image makers, point out that you admire Mohammed Ali the boxer. Asking you then to take a lesson in boxing or re- watch Rumble In The Jungle won’t be out of place. The underdog is the greatest achiever. It is the stone which the builder refused that becomes the Chief Corner Stone.

Your mandate may be challenged, but within this past one year (May 29^th 2007-2008), you have had the chance to engrave your name in gold. Late Awo wanted to merely rule for 24 hours. Furthermore, Machiavelli advised the prince, that it does not matter how principality is acquired but what counts is how you maintain your principality and subject your subjects towards attaining peace (dividend of democracy).

Ngige with stolen mandate in Anambra did well and would have won a free and fair election in Anambra, if not for the Supreme Court.

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APGA Loses Appeal To PPA

By Ashimole Felix with Agency Report.

The appeal of All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA)’s gubernatorial candidate in Imo State, Martin Agbaso, was yesterday dismissed by the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt and the court affirmed Governor Ohakim’s victory against APGA.

Agbaso had appealed, praying the court to compel INEC to release the result of the cancelled April 14^th Election in Imo State, which Agbaso claims he won. The court of appeal held that INEC was right in cancelling an inconclusive election for non compliance of a Supreme Court judgment in favour of Senator Ifeanyichukwu Ararume as the authentic PDP flag bearer for the election.

 INEC had excluded Senator Ararume and substituted his name with Charles Ugwu as the PDP candidate for the said election. In a bid to cure this defect, INEC cancelled the April 14^th Election and ordered and conducted a fresh election on the 28^th of April, which APGA and Senator Ararume contested.   

Meanwhile it is not yet uhuru for the PPA in Imo State, as the court of Appeal is yet to rule on the appeal of Hon. Uche Onyeagocha of Action Congress (AC) and Senator Ararume challenging the Imo State Election Tribunal that entered judgment in favour of Governor Ikedi Ohakim.

 

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Darkness in Abia, Imo States Decoded.

At a stopover in Umuahia on course of the on the spot assessment of the construction sites, to see progress of work and justification of the huge sums of money sunk into the power sector, the leader of the House of Reps. Committee on Power and Steel, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu said that out of N15.5 billion naira earmarked for the Alaoji-Owerri transmission line, N11.4bilion has been paid out to contractors handling the project without realising the proposed 600 mega watts.

Hon. Elumelu further stated that his committee has commenced investigation on the Alaoji-Owerri project and Alaoji-Calabar transmission line project which has gulped N6 billion without commensurate work at site.

Awaiting Court of Appeal Governor of Abia, Theodore Ahamefula Orji enjoined the House committee to be thorough and expose all individuals and companies involved in any corrupt practice with regards to the project. Govenor T.A.Orji was the secretary to the State Government during the tenure of ex-governor Orji  Uzor Kalu under whose administration these contracts were awarded.

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Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State Triumphs at the Tribunal

The Election petitions tribunal sitting in Owerri, Imo State have returned their verdict and they have ruled that Governor Ikedi Ohakim is the duly elected Governor of Imo State.

It will be recalled that the duo Ifeanyi Ararume of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Uche Onyeagocha of Action Congress (AC) went to the tribunal to challenge the election of Governor Ikedi Ohakim.

As we congratulate Governor Ohakim, we wish to encourage him to continue with the good works he has started in Imo State.

*** We will bring you more details of the ruling as it emerges.***

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Judgement Day in Eastern Heartland - Imo State

The Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Owerri, Imo State will today deliver its verdict on the petitions brought against Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA) by Ifeanyi Ararume of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Uche Onyeagocha of Action Congress (AC) .

Tension is high in Owerri the state capital and the recent allegation by Governor Ohakim of plots to assassinate him have not helped the palpable tension that has enveloped the state as the hour draws nearer.

Justice Ibrahim Mairiga-led tribunal will deliver the judgment around 9am, bearing any unforeseen events; we will be on hand to report the verdict to you as soon as it is delivered.

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