Written By Kenneth Uwadi
Emeka Ihedioha, the ousted governor of Imo State has been a vilified personality from all quarters and manners of people within the months. The recent wrangling between his supporters and that of Senator Samuel (Sam Daddy ) Anyanwu on who will be PDP’s flag bearer for the Imo State governorship election is only one case in point. Anyanwu is said to have mobilized some people to engage in insulting Ihedioha.. Ihedioha’s men too have replied . Anyanwu is seen as a threat to the ambition of the Mbaise born politician. It is very funny that Ihedioha wants the PDP ticket for another shot at the governorship. He sees it as his birthright. I had thought some level of decency and common-sense would prevail in him if not for anything, but at least to showcase that he is a little repentant over his 8 months of failure as governor but my hopes have been dashed. Why Ihedioha is interested in another shot at the government house is strange to me. In the first instance he was a non-performing governor for 8 months. His regime was visionless, directionless, arrogant and insensitive. The worst part was that there was no light at the end of the tunnel. There was no sign that the Chief from Mbutu was ready to hear any other voice except his and that of his cronies. He is currently not loved by the people of Imo.. I think he is currently one of the most unpopular politicians in the state even within his own PDP.. Imo has rejected him. Imo has also rejected the PDP altogether. Nobody is talking about PDP in Imo State. If things are done well, Ihedioha should be hiding his head in shame. But shame has become a rare commodity in public life. Clearly, Project Ihedioha is not working and cannot work in Imo. It is a failed project.
Senator Samuel Anyanwu if he works hard may get the PDP governorship ticket but can he defeat Governor Hope Uzodinma? The answer is No. Sam Daddy or Ihedioha cannot defeat the Imo governor.If it were a Facebook contest where propaganda, fake news and blackmail will decide the winner, perhaps, Ihedioha or Sam Daddy will have a chance. But this is Imo politics. Propaganda against Uzodinma does not work. Uzodimma did so much in his first term in office, in spite of all the challenges he encountered. It will be in the interest of Imo people to ensure that he is re-elected for a second term to enable him execute more development projects in the state. At a time most of his colleagues were complaining that there was no money, he was executing many projects such that the entire state looks like a construction site. His deliverance of projects continues to annoy some powerful politicians in Imo State who want to be governor by all means. The attitudinal change which he created, the need to put the people of Imo State first have made some people to rather want him dead because he has become a stumbling block to their wicked ambition.
What the governor has been able to do in this state is to manage our meager resources in a manner that is benefiting the greater number of the people of the state. He is using public money for public good. But his political detractors are very bitter with that because they would have preferred otherwise. It is not how far or how big the resources are, but it is how effective you apply the available ones. I ask ,do people really appreciate the sacrifices Governor Hope is making for our people as governor; the extent he has gone, breaking barriers and hitting his head against the wall just to get the best for our people?. The answer is yes. But if you are carried away with lies, propaganda and blackmails coming from the opposition on social media you will say no. Governor Hope is dealing with a situation where people had created a type of confusion which they were using to service their greed. And suddenly he is there frustrating that confusion and they are resisting it by all means. They are not happy they have lost their lunch packs and are angry that Uzodinma is getting things done right. Once you get it right, it becomes a problem for them. It is like bringing a change. When you bring a change, you become an enemy of all those people who live in the old order. That was what Jesus suffered. He was just trying to bring a new order and of course, they made all sorts of allegations against him.
Despite the disaster his 8 months regime turned out, so Ihedioha wants to come 2024 and stay four years junketing around, while his “hang bag” Oguta born Deputy Governor meekly waits for him. This kind of political tragedy will not happen.
-Kenneth Uwadi lives in Mmahu-Egbema, Imo State, Nigeria.
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