By Hilda Ifegwu
Series of negative interviews have been granted in the last few months by some hitherto friendly but lately disgruntled targeted at either Senator T A Orji or Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. Most of them are baseless and senseless that they end up with high contradictions. The common factor in all is that 90 percent of these bunch are former friends and protégés who have at different times benefited hugely from Senator T A Orji’s magnanimity.
I ask them these questions wishing that they will answer sincerely. Should political quest induce one to be amnesiac over past good deeds which should have been fragrances like Arabian perfume that last very long? Must we be acerbic in what should have been family matters? Can’t we politic without blackmail and calumny? Is gratitude no more a virtue? Is healthy competition, a factor which have been extoled by religion and community a thing of the past? Have we forgotten Ibrahim Waziri’s mode of politics without bitterness
Dr Alex Otti made a publication in Thisday, 2nd Jan page 19, titled ‘Otti promises restoration in Abia’ where he re-echoed his false claim of victory in 2015 polls through the APGA platform. Otti reminds me of a Benue chief in the 80’s who reacted to the prodding of a newshound over the outbreak of cholera in his area. He was told of Government’s efforts of supplying drugs and improving water supply. He laughed hoarsely to the consternation of the journalists and reacted derisively. ‘Government has killed cows with their mouth and we have eaten with our ears’. In like manner, Otti won the election with his mouth and we have sworn him into office with our ears.
Otti, a former PDP insider who after his antics to sway the governorship to his advantage failed, did a hegira to APGA, where on arrival he uprooted the candidates there with superior pecuniary factors and became the flag bearer irrespective of those there before him. He, in fairness upgraded the party from the backwaters of Abia politics to the main opposition party status. That was then.
If Otti won as he claims, why was he not declared the winner by INEC and the courts of our land? He won at the appellate court, a sweet song that did not last. When the Supreme Court turned it around, he became deaf to good reasons and continued claims of victory to whomever would listen. Since then, if Otti gets a malaria fever induced nightmare, it is caused by Senator T A Orji or his noble son. Before this Otti craved for the cancellation of PDP results in 3 local Government Areas for him to win. Oddly, in the stronghold of his opponent. He nearly hoodwinked Prof Ozurumba, the returning officer who happened to be his Aro kinsman to cancel until the prof was confronted on his limitations. Does he know that claims of victory where the Supreme Court said otherwise is contempt of Court?
We do not need to mention quantum mendacious campaign claims of advanced memoranda with foreign donors and international agencies that were on the way to change Abia. These turned out to be blatant lies and hoaxes.
Next is Nkechi Nwaogu who can only grant interviews in selected Newspapers where she mutually enjoys uniform negative passions. She keeps updates of her falsehood of non-representation. Paradoxically, she was in the House of Reps once and later in the Senate for 2 terms, a total of 12 years in the National Assembly. We have repeatedly called on her to present her scorecard which Senator T A Orji in 3years in senatorial stewardship has published in a book with lofty projects, bills and motions. Those who know her well allege that she hobnobbed with Abuja power brokers, among them social and political top-notchers only to feather her nests.
Do we bother about an upstart chief Emeka Nwogu who has been classified as one of the PDP deadweights, more like a grounded aircraft despite ample supply of gas and materials. Emeka then couldn’t fly with the behemoth PDP popularity in 1999. Many including Sen Orji pitied his orphan status and propped him up like a dummy but they were wrong. In an unguarded statement and defamation of the Ngwa heritage in the New telegraph of Jan, 2nd page 29, had the temerity to say that Ikpeazu was handpicked in 2014 to cover T A Orji’s misrule in Abia. For his inordinate ambition he denounce T A Orji who has received high accolades for helping the Ngwa group to touch the crown. Like Shakespeare said “lowliness is young ambition’s ladder”. Emeka Nwogu became humbler than a lamb and was nominated to the Federal Allocation Revenue Committee where he recovered from poverty. Has he been able to help anybody even from his own village. Let him list the people he has assited. In the same newspaper, he raised a confusing argument which is very laughable. He condemned Senator T A Orji for raising Ikpeazu but hailed OUK for electing his trusted. These two are the same act in the same party at different times so why hail one and condemn the other if he is well intentioned and of balanced judgement.
These ragtag renegade bunch of Otti, Nkechi and Emeka had guber ambitions but lost woefully and have united against a man who on many occasions assisted them greatly. If T A Orji took patronising, self-serving decisions as Nwogu alleged, why did Ndi Ngwa and many groups honour him for good deeds of equity?
Sen Orji has sworn to uphold the equity standard by quitting from the senate after two terms. Aware of the nature of the Abia Central Senatorial District where two political blocks share the constituency, it is a good balance to allow the Ngwa extraction back at the senate.
Ndi Ngwa should know their enemies. Emeka is one of them. Nkechi’s bid and Nwogu’s utterances are reactionary in mode and aimed at destruction. They should be made to realise that in compounding a curative eye drop or solution, pepper is not one of the ingredients. On their hatred and ingratitude to Senator Orji, may God judge them! Taking inference from a Korean proverb, they should be reminded that “if you kick a stone in anger, you will hurt your foot”.