By Prince Ejeh Josh
In the past few days, the political atmosphere of Enugu state has become deliberately, perhaps out of desperation by political scavengers, distended in distrust, campaigns of calumny, brazen contempt for the sanctity of grey hairs, impudent for elders and the fanning of embers of public disaffection by some paid pack of social media urchins and online newspapers’ churnalists. They torpedo whoever is at variant with their inordinately-driven political interest, scurry peevishly with premeditated disparagement and threaten blackmail. They’ve metamorphosed themselves into stalkers terrorizing the good people of the state with their ‘cockroach’ activism all championed to massage the insatiable power quest of their political barons. All this is literally geared to ingratiate themselves with falling crumbs, understandably to redeem them from poverty and hunger.
It’s within the right of every citizen to exercise the freedom of expression which includes, freedom to hold opinions, dissimilate information and impart ideas, however, such display of freedom must be responsibly articulated and jealously guarded in order not to infract on the rights of others. In law, the locus classicus often quoted could be found in Donoghue v Stevenson where the test of neighborhood principle was laid. This case was pertinent here given the negligence with which desperate political ogres allow their proxies fabricate malicious contents and disparaging mails against people carrying out their constitutionally protected rights. Invectives are hurled like missiles at their perceived adversaries. When their shots are reciprocated with a vigorous act of audacity, they recourse to weeping up of sentiments, feigning victims of circumstances and projecting themselves as sacrificial lambs being led to the abattoir by their oppressors. This act of political subterfuge as a deceptive cobweb to snare their perceived rivals is long known as their trademark. Having this in perspective, I’ve become undeterred that whatever prism their mudslinging is being flung, my reaction to their belligerent campaigns against us will have a sweeping effect as always.
In recent times, chunks of the articles, both in mainstream national dailies and online media, being hurriedly churned out by them have seen them stooped to the lowest ebb, below the line acceptable by civility and human decorum, to malign elder statesmen, political leaders, traditional rulers and those that fought ceaselessly for the freedom of our state. Unprintable media works, yet they went ahead and got them printed, have been slung in an impulsive move to hang bad names on people in order to ridicule them before the public. Worst is their mastery of political fabrication, and even worrisome is that their sponsors would embark on an orgy of self-reverence. I would, ordinarily, remain calm and even challenged to a contest to research to enrich the frontier of intellectual horizon had it been their works or articles are fact based. Far from that, it’s always a voyage of imagination and illusion.
A click at the internet will display their malignant works against highly revered figures as His Excellency, Senator Jim Nwobodo, former Governor of Old Anambra state, His Excellency, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, former Governor of Enugu state and Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial Zone, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the Executive Governor of Enugu state, Chief Captain Evarest Nnaji Odengene, Barr. Peter Mbah, HRH, Igwe Abel Nwobodo, His Excellency, Prof. Barth Nnaji, Hon. GOC Ajah, former Secretary to Enugu State Government, Rt. Hon. Anayo Edeh, former House of Representatives Member, and a host of others who are lawfully carrying out their duties as citizens of Nigeria. People have allowed political desperation to prevail over their faculty of reasoning. Politics is not a do-or-die affairs, and the earlier they understand and appreciate that, the better for the common good and development of the state.
Let it be reiterated unambiguously; every citizen of Nigeria of full age is constitutionally recognized with the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of association, and right to freedom of movement. There’s no derogation from these provisions save as such rights are not used to trample against the rights of others unlawfully. In the clear face of the constitution, why should those who have formed themselves into political traducers resort to barrage of scurrilous political rascality whenever anybody from Nkanuland is seen as exercising any of these rights? The people of Nkanu have never raised apprehension against anyone or a group of people despite the visibly nightly owled meetings and effrontery by some camps endorsing whatever clan they deemed fit. It’s within the ambit of their rights. When a certain group of people abdicated their duties for burial and funeral ceremonies, junketing even to where they had not been invited, the people of Nkanu and indeed, Enugu East Senatorial Zone kept out of the business since that has nothing to do with their mission. When some videos were flying across border with incendiary statements from some elders from the other side of political divide, nobody from Nkanuland has an issue with that. It’s within the purview of anyone to flag up support for his or her choice.
Interestingly but amusingly, when it comes to Nkanuland, any visitation is taken as a threat to the existentiality of some people. The next turn will be to attempt everything possible to railroad, to threaten terror or unleash diatribes through paid political jobbers most of whom are parading fake degree certificates including PhD certificates manufactured from computer business centres or sourced from the Ogbete Main market. This could have rightly accounted for why a great number of them remain perpetually jobless, picking crumbs and barking unstrained at anyone that raises genuine questions. Governor Ugwuanyi should be wary of these political hyenas trying everything possible to stir the ember of disaffection between him and the good people of Nkanuland. In every of their works, some subtle elements of violence, mutual distrust, suspicion and imaginary antagonists to the governor’s administration will be created just to present the Nkanu people in a bad light and incur the wrath of the governor. Of course, Governor Ugwuanyi is a man of wisdom and he understands when desperation is taken beyond the line of decency. Nkanu people have always treated the governor has one of them. The overwhelming support the governor is enjoying among the people of Nkanu is a credible testimony that the governor is, first and most, the father to them. No one abandons his father for a stranger. The people of Nkanuland has found a paternity trust in the governor and will keep following him.
Reading through what some of these crumbs-chasing political hypocrites wrote about His Excellency, Senator Jim Nwobodo, one would wonder whether the family of these writers would ever produce elders in their lineages or someone that will, one day, fly the kind of political credentials His Excellency has garnered over the past decades. The insulting words audaciously deployed against the elder statesman should be immediately withdrawn with apologies from the writers and their sponsor(s). Those sponsoring them are well known and the handwriting is always on the wall. The protruded fingers of shadow directors are glaring to everybody and apology is, forthrightly, demanded from him. Having or nursing a political ambition shouldn’t serve as a pass code for engineering his boys against elders. Has he not disqualified himself from the race by prevailing on his political jobbers to resort to calling Senator Nwobodo an old man with senility which means mental retardation and illness? Let this sink deeply; Jim Nwobodo can never be a beggar and will never be. He has seen it all. Had his name entrenched in the golden sand of history and history will always be kind to him. The elder statesman will remain undeterred and unmoved by these evil machinations, and will keep on standing for the truth.
When these boys were pushed into telling the world that Senator Nwobodo hated the people of Isi Uzo with passion, perhaps, they had a pervert sense of history because that couldn’t have come out of them had they understood or went back to the political history of Enugu state and saw that the magnificent signature projects of Nwobodo were mostly sited at Isi Uzo. They could have appreciated that it was under the watch and administration of Jim Nwobodo that their son, Senator Isaiah Ani, was given a senatorial ticket on the platter. They should be eternally grateful to the man who has taken Isi Uzo people, long before the 1996 political formation, as his kinsmen. To be sure of the immeasurable attachment Senator Nwobodo has for the people of Isi Uzo, he reiterated yesterday as follows: “I love Isi-Uzo and they know that. The first Senator in my Government, Sen. Isaiah Ani was from Isi-Uzo. The first road I built was a road leading to Isi-Uzo. I built schools as Governor in Isi-Uzo. Isi-Uzo is far better than what it used to be. If an Isi-Uzo man becomes Governor, it is my joy. I reassure Isi-Uzo that my love and friendship for them remains.”
Coincidentally, yesterday saw two former Governors in the state; Senator Jim Nwobodo and Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, issuing separate press release in Enugu and Abuja respectively. What caught the attention of millions of people of the state was their unalloyed affirmation in the leadership of the incumbent Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. The duo revered figures had stated that only Governor Ugwuanyi has the prerogative to anoint his successor in line with the zoning template and democratic tradition of the state. This is, indeed, a reassuring audacity of finality in the leadership capacity of the Governor. My take home from the two press release, which the people of Nkanuland in particular and Enugu state in general have held dearly, and which could only be said to be reiterative and repetitive of their political creed, is the unassailable, unchallenged, and celebratory confidence reposed in the person and administration of Governor Ugwuanyi. The press release should lay to rest, the insinuation that politicians are imposing candidates on the Governor or on the people of Enugu state. Nobody can impose any candidate, and for those keeping vigil, desperately prevailing on those without electoral value to endorse them, surreptitiously turning themselves into night marauders to browbeat the public under their political gauntlet, they should see that the game is already over. Zoning has come to stay, and it has produced competent, qualified and people-oriented candidates. The people of Nkanu have those with the intellectual capital, political will, astute understanding of 21st century modern economy, and what it takes to move Enugu state forward by consolidating on the achievements of the present administration of Governor Ugwuanyi. Of course, Governor Ugwuanyi’s successor will solely come from him without any external influence or affiliations as rightly noted by Senator Chimaroke.
It’s not in doubt that, at the right time, Governor Ugwuanyi will give the people of Enugu state the right person from Enugu East Senatorial Zone. Like many have been clamouring even outside Enugu East Senatorial District, that the governor, being a man of equity, of good conscience, of fairness, of understanding, of justice, of wisdom, he would march us to Nkanu East local government area for his successor. Of instructive, too, was Senator Chimaroke’s unambiguous submission that whoever Governor Ugwuanyi presents would be supported. I love it when he declared that any political difference between him and perceived political figures in the state had been thrashed into the dustbin of history as forgiveness had taken over. With this momentous support for Governor Ugwuanyi, one can, even from a distance, perceive the fragrance of a new political vegetation, take a fresh breath and turn the searchlight toward Nkanu East.
