James Udemba
It was the completed writer, Betrand Russell, who posited that the world would have been a greater place if individuals pursued their happiness moderately than spend money on the distress of others. Sadly, individuals are likely to derive pleasure within the misfortunes of others to the extent that they enlarge and have a good time challenges encountered by such individuals, even when it as an trustworthy mistake. This is quite common in politics, and it’s a malaise borne out of envy and sheer jealousy.
It’s actually worrisome that the inconclusive Edo APC governorship primaries presided over by Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma has now change into his Golgotha the place all method of individuals search his head to assuage their frustration.
Even those that knew they might not win their polling models in an election have discovered their voices, searching for the crucifixion of Senator Hope Uzodinma. It’s also unlucky {that a} part of the media has joined within the baying of the gang oblivious of their constitutional accountability of informing and educating the general public on what have been the actual points within the Edo APC governorship primaries. Abruptly, we’re studying that Uzodinma presided over an election that produced three candidates. Haba! It was solely Hon Dennis Idahosa that emerged the candidate as introduced by the Imo state governor. The others emerged from the bedrooms of their sponsors, and so on.
Within the din of the cacophony, no one has heard the place of INEC that the one official venue it recognised for the primaries was that presided over by Uzodinma. Individuals even have suffered amnesia that as a real and dedicated disciple of the occasion, Uzodinma will need to have had the specific approval of the Nationwide Working Committee to carry the primaries on the designated venue. Now, if Uzodinma because the chairman of the panel was glad {that a} specific aspirant had considerably complied with the rules for the primaries, what’s improper in declaring him the winner.
No one faults those that went to unapproved venues. No one is blaming those that ab initio sought to thwart the plan of the Committee by blatantly refusing to observe pointers. Abruptly, Uzodinma “organised” thugs to disrupt an occasion he was presiding over! Such an childish postulation. However that’s the worth now we have to pay free of charge speech the place idiots and charlatans are allowed to open their mouths and vomit venom towards established public officers.
It’s also as effectively that the management of APC has elected to have one other major, this time with Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State in cost. Politicians, being who they’re, have already positioned their toxic arsenal towards the brand new helmsman as a result of there isn’t any approach he would please everybody. And heaven won’t assist the unpopular ones to all of the sudden change into champions. Those that declare Uzodinma goaded the nationwide chairman of APC to endorse Idahosa also needs to watch the subsequent stage since Uzodinma has been faraway from the scene.
Nonetheless, what rankles in the whole train is the imputation of ulterior motives towards Senator Hope Uzodinma within the Edo APC governorship primaries saga. Some even went to the ridiculous extent of accusing him of working towards President Tinubu by making certain {that a} “ improper” candidate is “ foisted “ on Edo APC. In one among his epic performs, William Shakespeare wrote that he who filches his identify had robbed him of all the pieces. It seems that disgruntled parts, already afraid of the rising nationwide profile of Uzodinma, are up in arms to rob him of his treasured identify utilizing the Edo debacle as a pedestal.
Sure, all of the assaults have come from all corners, with enemies uniting for a typical foe. Characteristically, those from the Igbo extraction look like extra virulent, although ludicrous. One Osita Okechukwu demanded the elimination of Uzodinma as Chairman of the Progressive Governors” Discussion board. He blamed Uzodinma for APC poor efficiency within the 2023 Normal elections within the southeast and noticed him as an enemy of the Tinubu’s administration. The nexus between his rantings and what’s at stake stays hazy, however many people know the place he’s coming from.
To begin with, Osita Okechukwu ought to come ahead and inform Nigerians whether or not he was in a position to ship his unit and ward within the stated 2023 election. Out there data means that he failed woefully. This explains why he sought to cover his shameful electoral outing by reeling out deceitful and fraudulent statistics on the efficiency of every South-east States in the course of the election. However he suffered irreparable selective amnesia to the truth that Peter Obi ran for president in an election that Ndigbo believed that it was their flip. He additionally forgot to share the statistics of the legislative election throughout the 5 states. At present, below the management of Uzodinma, South-east states produced extra APC Senators and Home of Representatives than it had ever finished since 2015. Each Imo and Ebonyi Homes of Meeting are led by APC.
Past that, nevertheless, it was most unlucky although anticipated that Osita Okechukwu sought the elimination of Uzodinma as Chairman of Progressive Governors Discussion board, the exact same place that he has used to draw federal authorities’s consideration to Igboland. It was the Ebonyi State Gov, Francis Nwaifuru, who publicly acknowledged, in a gathering of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Abuja final yr, that Uzodinma used that place to make it attainable for Ndigbo to have a service chief within the present administration, one thing that has eluded us for eight years. There are different quite a few advantages which have accrued to Ndigbo due to the visibility of Uzodinma within the nationwide sphere. As a substitute of Osita Okechukwu and his band of poor losers to acknowledge the identical and present respect, he’s busy denigrating the identify of Hope Uzodinma. Hopefully, 1,000,000 of such disgruntled parts can’t cease the Nationwide march of the Imo State Governor.
With none doubt, APC within the south-east has grown from power to power below the ready and succesful management of Uzodinma. Regardless of numerous challenges posed by weaklings like Osita Okechukwu, Uzodinma has led the South-east to the nationwide grid of politics in Nigeria, and the individuals are reaping the dividends. The latest approval by the Federal Authorities for the dredging of Oguta Lake to the Atlantic is one among such as a result of it will seriously change the financial fortune of the whole states within the southeast. Being very near President Tinubu shouldn’t be a criminal offense by Uzodinma.The president is aware of his price, the identical as his brother governors who entrusted the management of the Progressive Governors Discussion board to his care. The desires of naysayers like Okechukwu can’t change what’s on the bottom.
Certainly, the Edo APC governorship primaries that encountered challenges, necessitating the barrage of criticism towards Hope Uzodinma, is nothing however a brief setback frequent in politics. If there was a mistake, it was an trustworthy one. Uzodinma is a fiercely loyal occasion man who wouldn’t do something to harm the occasion or its organs or its members. He didn’t and doesn’t have a private curiosity in who emerged the governorship candidate in Edo. If all of the contestants had performed by the principles, maybe there wouldn’t have been this hullabaloo. Classes have been learnt. The occasion stays sturdy and united in profitable the governorship election in Edo. And greater than ever, Uzodinma is dedicated not solely to the unity of APC however that of the whole nation.
Udemba is a public affairs analyst based mostly in Owerri
