By Reuben Onyishi
The above title as base, nondescript, lackluster and uninspiring as it is ordinarily is not worth any meaningful engagement, more so as the language in which it is fleshed out is gutter-oriented, vulgar and pedestrian. But then, the mischievous chicanery that constitutes its content has got to be dispelled for the sake of some persons who may be vulnerable to such sophistry.
The said piece being circulated is said to have been written by a faceless organisation that exists nowhere. The said piece of calumny against Governor Ugwuanyi was neither signed by the president nor secretary of the association called Adada Peoples Parliament and this points to the fact that those behind it are not bold enough to stand by their slanderous claims. They cowardly threw the write up out there and had it shared by their gullible minions. I had read one shared by Okey Ezea, Ideke, on Otobo Oha Nsukka Whatsapp platform and I was ill at ease as to why someone of Ideke status would choose to share such an unsigned anonymously nondescript piece filled with lies as egg is full of meat, coming from a pseudonym of an association.
The essay, if an essay it is, had begun with incoherent muddling up of the historical perspectives to Ugwuanyi’s political career, where it did begin, his years in the national assembly and his ascenderance to the governorship throne of Enugu State. While the intention was to denigrate the person of Ugwuanyi, whoever takes a look at Ugwuanyi’s political career would agree he is a great man who has achieved uncommon feats, for while he humbly wanted to serve as the local government chairman of Udenu Local Government, divinity exalted him to the position of a governor. Is there any wonder the bible records that God exalts the humble but brings low the proud? God took him through the House of Representatives for 12 years and crowned him the governor of Enugu State for two tenure of 8 years and he is headed for the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in another dimension of call to the service of the good people of Nigeria. No one from Nsukka had ever attained this feat. Instead of celebrating the best we have, some disgruntled folks whom the people rejected at the polls have formed a clique whose aim is to run virulent campaigns of vilification against His Excellency.
Whoever hobbled the incoherent piece had given it subheads of absolute lies thus:
Ugwuanyi’s N6.7 Billion Governorship Ticket in 2015.
It is clear that at no time did Governor Ugwuanyi tell anyone he bought his governorship ticket with the sum of N6.7 billion. Governor Ugwuanyi through due process as was even confirmed by the Supreme Court won the PDP gubernatorial primaries in 2015 and went ahead to win the governorship election. No doubt financial war-chest is required for elections all over the world( Obama raised 80 million dollar for his election in 2009 as the 44th President of the United States), such funds could not have been given to any one individual, as there was no need for that. If Governor Ugwuanyi spent up to N6.7 billion as alleged, then the election logistics might have accounted for that. Good a thing, Hon. Mrs Ifeoma Nwobodo has denied she ever received the sum of N2.3 billion the author of these lies alleged she was bribed with. I am sure that if the cowards behind this were to show their faces, Mrs Nwobodo would seek redress against them in court. Even if Governor Ugwuanyi gave Nwobodo the sum as alleged and Sullivan the N1.5 billion as claimed, whose business is that? Again, If Ugwuanyi were the least qualified in mental capacity ( whatever that means) as the mischievous author claims, where were those with highfalutin mental capacity when the one with lower capacity outwitted them and became the governor in their stead? Isn’t the claim most stupid?
Injustice in Enugu State Senatorial Delineation and Isi-Uzo as a Metaphor
No one puts the old wine in a new wine skin. It is an error. The injustice of the delineation was there but the state had moved on. Governor Ugwuanyi was not there when the old Nsukka Zone was shortchanged in delineation of the state’s senatorial zones. How then could he be blamed for that? In the present time, Enugu has three senatorial zones: Enugu North, East and West, and the governorship seat rotates among them. The narrative of the old zones and the said injustice thereof could not have been brought into the present scenario.Old things have passed away. All things have become new, says the holy book. Ugwuanyi is not a clannish leader and so would have things take their normal course.
Eight Years of Locusts and Marketplace Politics
Where is the waste in an economy bedeviled with recession? It is on record that Governor Ugwuanyi received commendation from the Federal Government for making the best use of the bailout funds disbursed to states. The Ugwuanyi administration is financially up to date in its obligations to the Enugu civil servants. He executes projects across the 17 local governments equitably, does empowerments here and there and has also made Enugu State a choice destination for investors on account of ease of doing business, a strategy for job-creation and poverty alleviation. Governor Ugwuanyi’s projects in terms of road infrastructure, provision of health and education services and facilities, agriculture, rural development, human capital development and so on are as numerous as sand upon seashore. They are in public domain and can be accessed by any literate person. In their bid to tell more lies, the said Adada Peoples Parliament glibly mentioned a few of Governor Ugwuanyi’s projects and left the others unmentioned. Even in their clannish orientation, they glossed over Governor Ugwuanyi’s many projects in the Nsukka area and merely talked about Opi-Nsukka Road. Who attracted the Federal Polytechnic Ohodo? Who built SUMAS? Who built Nsukka Stadium? Who constructed several kilometers of rural roads here and there in Nsukka area, who built the Udenu ring roads? Who built type 3 hospitals in each local governments of the zone? To mention no more! Louis Amoke, SSA to Governor Ugwuanyi on media, has a compendium of Governor Ugwuanyi’s achievements and it is there on his Facebook wall and the projects are verifiably if tangibly on ground. Why would anyone with head on their neck brand Ugwuanyi’s years as those of the locust whereas Governor Ugwuanyi is one of the best governors in Nigeria? He has built the economy of Enugu State in such a way that the state, though bereft of oil derivation accrued to oil-producing states, is self-sufficient even without FAC allocation. What more does anyone want to warrant these calumnious campaigns against His Excellency and his administration?
Financial Rape against Enugu State People in the Recent Primary Elections
Such childish claim that Governor Ugwuanyi reached a secret deal with the PDP National Working Committee to market the primary(sic) forms to as many people as possible,to the tune of N1 billion, in order that they help to edge our Ike Ekweremadu from the gubernatorial contest is unthinkable. I am sure that Governor Ugwuanyi did not force anyone to buy forms. He would not stop anyone from buying forms either. The field determined victory for aspirants. Such claim is ridiculously infantile, if mischievous. Ekwerwmadu ran for the gubernatorial election and withdrew from the race when it became clear to him he could not truncate zoning, as the people of the party in the state maintained their stand on zoning.
A man of Unprecedented Lies and Inferiority Complex
Claims to lies are predicated on Ugwuanyi’s relationship with his subordinate commissioners. Ugwuanyi has no reason to lie to any one, especially his commissioners. They hold the offices at his discretion and pleasure as he can hire and fire. But Ugwuanyi is a kindhearted leader who is very considerate and empathetic to his subordinates. Some of those writing this trash served in his administration and performed poorly; yet Ugwuanyi did not sack them but allowed them to serve out in his first tenure, but would not reappoint them as nobody rewards failure. Governor Ugwuanyi contrary to the claims gives his commissioners the free hand to operate. However, delegation of duty does not amount to dereliction of responsibilities. The buck stops on Ugwuanyi’s table; so he is carefully on top of his game and thoroughly supervises his subordinates and guides they to optimal productive delivery. If that is what they mean by the claim that Ugwuanyi does not give his commissioners the free hand to operate, there they missed the mark. Where is the inferiority complex for a man who has achieved such great feats? If it takes inferiority complex to become a governor, then inferiority complex would desirably be coveted by the faceless members of the nonexistent group castigating Governor Ugwuanyi. Chief Nwobodo could not have asked Ugwuanyi to give Edeoga the Enugu North Senatorial Zone ticket as claimed when Edeoga did not purchase the senate forms. At no time did Edeoga desire the senate. He made it clear he wanted the governorship. So, such claims here are semblances of lies. When the kettle calls the pot black is a title for another essay.
Crony and Clannish Leader of Udenu
Here lies yet another contradiction. If Ugwuanyi were clannish, how come it that he did not cede the governorship ticket to his relation who vied for the position? He could as well have influenced the ticket to Nsukka that he might gratify the irredentist urge of some selfish Nsukka politicians and quench their inordinate entitlement libido. Ugwuanyi is a man of integrity and believes in due process. So, the allegations of cronyism and clannishness are absolutely unfounded. As for Udenu gaining the deputy governorship slot, Peter Mbah made a choice of his running mate with whom he had worked assiduously for the ticket. The position is zoned to Enugu North and Mbah picked a running mate with value proposition. Udenu had no consideration in the choice. It is just by chance that Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai is from Udenu. No one can begrudge Ifeanyi that position.
Call for Action
Incidentally, two out of the three persons being called for action were Ugwuanyi’s commissioners. Fidel Ayogu had served as the commissioner for environment in Ugwuanyi’s first tenure. Peter Okonkwo has been Ugwuanyi’s commissioner from the inception of his government till date. Would they rise to do what? Take what action against the man who gave them lifeline and made them politically relevant? Ideke himself had contested for the governorship many times and could not succeed. Is he the one to upstage Governor Ugwuanyi or who? Governor Ugwuanyi is a man of peace and does not work with thugs. So, he could not have sent nonexistent thugs after Ideke. All these are figments of negative imaginations meant to malign the person of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi by his own kinsmen simply because Ugwuanyi allowed due process and did not impose a candidate of Nsukka extraction on the state even when the zoning tradition is clear on that.
We have taken time to deconstruct the lies being peddled vindictively by the faceless Adada Peoples Parliament, who has neither anything to offer nor hold against Governor Ugwuanyi so that the discerning public will see through their evil machination against our peace-loving and performing governor. The people of Enugu State should shun these men and look forward to the delivery at the polls the formidable candidates of the PDP in the state.
