Before The Whirlwind Blow: An Open Letter To Governor Rochas Okorocha (PART TWO)

BEFORE THE WHIRLWIND BLOW: An Open Letter To Governor Rochas Okorocha (PART TWO)

This is why you ought to involve your men in the task of building the APC in Imo State.Those who know the art of politicking in the State and have come to join you in your rescue boat ought to be energized by you to carry out this responsibility.  

I will suggest the introduction of Apex leaders in each of the local Governments. They must be credible politicians who have the capacity to sell your vision and your party’s ideals to the people. They will serve as a rallying point for your supporters at the grassroots. You cannot know all the needs of those you govern.

It is advised that you  poach the camp of your opponents. You have little or no political titans in the APC.  

The APC national leadership  demonstrated recently that they are artful political poachers. And you saw the fruit of this strategy. You saw how five PDP governors and 57 members of the Federal House of Representatives  defected from the ruling party to pitch their tent with the APC. You should have replicated same here in Imo State. You should not have allowed the PDP to remain intact. I expected you to split their ranks long time ago. Not everyone in Imo PDP is happy over the way things are done in the party. But because you did not offer them a handshake, you did not look in their direction, you did not open your door for them to come in, they decided to stay put. We saw how Blyden Amajirionwu, the party’s publicity secretary was thrown out of the party because he disgreed with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha. There are many PDP stalwarts that  are ready to move to your camp. Some of them are not so happy in the party. But they are not forthcoming because it appears you shut the door on them. 

You should not have allowed former Governor Achike Udenwa to return to the PDP. firstly, he is your kinsman, secondly, a politician in the State who understands the power of the grassroots and thirdly he is an astute politician.  Udenwa erected Redemption political group and it remained one of the most potent political groups in the State. Even when he left office, Redemption remained. Ohakim’s New Face structure crumbled immediately he left office. But that of Udenwa stood erect. His return to the PDP remains an advantage to PDP in Imo State and a minus to the rescue mission government and the APC.I know those who must have advised you to let Udenwa go. They did so because they were scared of him.  But it was a political error on your part to let him quit the APC.

Owelle, you must understand that in the last election Imolites voted for you on “credit”. This time it will not be so. You cannot convince the people of Imo State to vote for you again with similar tales of promises upon promises and sweet oratory speeches.  The beauty of democracy is the happiness of the people.  Much as the massive infrastructural renewal in the State is most welcome by the people of the State, you must go beyond using it as a bait to woo voters to vote for you again. There must be a whole new approach to build a solid support base for your administration between now and the elections. 

It is pertinent to remind you that former United States President, Bill Clinton said that politics is all about money, money, money. In otherwords, you must learn to oil your political structure with money, good money, not pittance. Party men and women should have no reason to complain when they belong to the ruling party in the State.  

A situation where most of your political foot-soldiers complain bitterly that much is not forthcoming from you to oil the APC structure in the wards and local governments is something to worry about. When those who work for you, clap for you when you say My people, My people and they respond with Our Governor, Our Governor, it does not imply that they are in total support of your actions or what you say.  They complain in silence over some of your actions especially your inability to fulfill your promises.

Much as you are relying on the Community Government Council(CGC), the CLO  and other pro rescue  mission structures to campaign for your  re election at the grassroots, it is a statement of fact that the CLOS,the GLO s complain over lack of funds to empower them to drive home the noble objectives and aims of your Rescue Mission. A situation where a paltry N5,000 is given to CGC members for sitting allowance makes a caricature of the entire initiative. Such sittings rarely take place because of the unwholesome acts and actions of the Executive secretaries whom you appointed to supervise the CGC at the grassroots. Because they are civil servants, they are not in sync with the political dynamics that surround the set up of the CGC.

I suggest that you instruct the Local Government Transition Chairmen to have a synergy with the CGC and the GLO in the Local Governments. The Local Governments is where your support base is. Therefore, you must not toy with it but ensure there is harmony of your structures at the grassroots. In some areas in the State, the CGC is dead. It is not functional and operative.  Because it is new and alien to imolites, there will be increasing apathy towards the concept.

There is need for harmonization of all pro rescue mission structures in the local Governments in the State. They are running in different direction.  Most times, there are clash and overlapping of functions and duties amongst them. This is so because you failed to streamline their duties.

There is also urgent need to conduct the local Government election in the State. The CGC election which you say you want to conduct should not overshadow the need for you to democratize the local Governments. The Councils have remained redundant for three years  after you sacked and refused to obey a Court Order to reinstate the 27 Local Government Chairmen elected during Ohakim’s reign. You must know that  elected Local Government officials are imperative. It will strengthen the bond between  your government and those you govern at the grassroots.  

There has been a cold war between your Deputy, Eze Madumere and Your Chief of Staff, Jude Ejiogu. This has been severally reported in the local media. The bone of contention is the seat you occupy. Because they feel rightly or wrongly that you want to go for the presidency,they have intensified quite campaigns to suceeed you as Imo State Governor. This has created disharmony among your aides. It may interest you to know that the altercations has divided your government. Some of your aides have pitched tent either with Madumere’s camp or that of your Chief of Staff.   

This is dangerous and you are the architect of the division. If you had stated your next political direction clearly and earlier, there would have been no basis for this sharp division in your administration.   Your subordinates will not have seen the need to be angling for your seat. You must not allow the matter or feud to degenerate.  A divided house does not stand. It rather creates room for your political enemies to come in. This will be the major undoing of your government if you allow it to escalate.  You must close the gap and ensure you maintain a united house before the elections come around.

Already the camp of your political adversaries have continued to grow in leaps and bounds. Aside the PDP who have singled out itself to wrestle power from you in 2015, the worst enemy is the enemy within. It is like a green snake in a green grass. You must take a second look at your appointees and re-assess their level of loyalty. The defection of your former commissioner of Justice and Attorney General, Barr. Sorronandi Njoku to the PDP must not have come to you as a rude shock. It is only an eye opener to the hidden chameleons in your cabinet.   However,many of them are unhappy with the way you starve them of funds  and nod in disapproval over this action.

Futhermore, there has been concern that most of your family members are the ones enjoying all the goodies in your Government. You are said to have enriched them so much through contracts. This is in the public domain. This is totally not in tandem with the ideals you preach about governance in the State. It is at variance with your gospel that most of the funds accrurable to the State from the Federation Account and other sources are channeled to projects you have embarked upon.

Imolites are not happy that while they groan over cash squeeze in the State, your siblings and in laws are living large in the State, riding state of the art of cars and acquiring properties all over the State. It creates a bad image about you and your administration. It contradicts the tenets of your rescue mission agenda. 

Some of your relatives are said to be eying elective offices as well. For instance, your in- law who is the local Government Chairman of  Owerri North LGA wants to contest for Owerri Federal House seat despite the fact you appointed him the Chairman of that local Government thrice. Your son in law, Uche Nwosu, who is the Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development is eying the Federal House seat in Nkwerre LGA. Their body language already shows that you are keen on handing over to them the APC tickets in those areas.

There is nothing wrong if they do have political aspirations but if  they must emerge as party flag-bearers, they must go through the party’s primaries. If you circumvent the process of electing party flag-bearers just to satisfy and favour their ambitions, then expect an Armageddon to hit the APC in the State. The PDP and APGA  are already waiting with glee and pleasure those who will fall out with you in the APC. It is advised you provide the required level playing ground for all contestants to participate in the process of seeking for elective office. If you fail to do so, you will be shocked with the level of defections in the APC in Imo State.

Recently, you were reported to have said zoning is a forgone issue. This has created political dislocation within your political family. By this pronouncement,you only succeeded to put up a political time bomb ticking to explode in the APC in the State. Zoning has been part of the political culture in Imo State.  It has significantly guided the people in choosing their representatives for various positions. It may be out of place in democratic norms but it has proved to be workable in the democratic environment in Imo State.

The Imo Charter of equity was designed to strengthen zoning in Imo State. It was done to ensure that political power is rotated among the three geo political zones in the State to promote fairplay and equity among our people. This has contributed to stabilize and enhance political harmony among various communities. We have also seen less political choas and its attendant positive effects in the communities across the State because of the adherence to the concept of zoning of political offices.

For you to erase it will lead to political disaffection among the people. It will erode the mutual political understanding existing among the people long before you became the governor of Imo State. You should not be seen to fuel the fire that tend to destroy those factors that has continued to bond our people together. 

That you were not a product of zoning does not imply you will be the one to  erase it completely. Zoning has seriously aided communities in  the State to live in peace and political harmony.  You should not tamper with it except you want to fan the embers of discord in the hinterlands.

Your relationship with the catholic church has been on the down slide for some time now. The Archbishop of  Owerri Catholic Diocese, AJV Obinna has not minced words in preaching against your administration.  

I hope you understand and remember the role the catholic church played to enthrone your administration and dismantle the Ohakim leadership in 2011. The catholic community constitute a huge voting population in Imo State. They decide where the victory pendulum swing in every election held in the State. It has become glaring that the catholic church do not seem to be giving its total support to your administration. Obnoxious laws such as the Abortion law which was eventually repealed by the Imo House of Assembly and the umbrage it generated against your administration must have set you and the catholic church on a path that is not pleasant.

There are other issues of serious concern which space will no linger permit me to discuss in this letter. Perhaps  I shall do so in the near future as further political issues unfold in our beloved State.

Finally,I must admit that your administration has scored high marks in ensuring  security  and protection of lives and properties in the State. Crime has reduced significantly. Kidnapping which was on the rise in the past  and made our people to sleep with two eyes open in the night has reduced to a great extent.  The free education programme is commendable in addition to the construction of 27 General hospitals across the State to boost health care among our rural dwellers.

Keep up the good work in this direction and do not relent in the task of making our beloved Imo State better than you met it.

Wishing you the best of luck in your future endeavours.   

Your loyal senior citizen,

Chief Raymond Onuoha

Iho, Ikeduru Local Government Area, Imo State.