For Ndi’Imo, A New Day Has Come

Bonaventure Melah

When former Deputy Speaker of Nigeria’s Federal House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, CON, eventually takes over the mantle of leadership on May 29, 2019, it would mark the end of an ugly era as well as activate a new day and fresh beginning for ndi’Imo, who, for the past seven years and ten months have suffered physical, emotional and psychological tortures in the hands of Owelle Rochas Okorocha.

Rochas was elected Imo State governor in 2011 and took over the mantle of leadership on May 29 of that year.

He was elected under the banner of the All Progressives Congress (APGA) following a fraudulent deal brokered by Martin Agbaso and other APGA leaders who, after cutting their own slice, told APGA members that Rochas was brought in, to ensure that then governor Ikedi Ohakim was seen off Douglas House, by all means.

Although many enlightened minds had warned that Rochas was semi-illiterate and charlatan with no serious service or leadership record, Imolites were swayed with the sentiment that Rochas was a philanthropist who have given so much to charity and therefore would make a good governor.

But it took barely a few months of his assumption of office for the people to realize that the guy had nothing to offer as well as see the deviousness of his mind.

First, Rochas moved against Jude Agbaso, his deputy who was younger brother to Martin Agbaso, the APGA chieftain that helped to foist Rochas on the party.

Armed with frivolous and unsubstantiated allegations of sleaze and other sundry matters, Rochas deployed massive financial inducement to members of the state House of Assembly and threw out his deputy into the state’s political trash-can with little or no resistance.

He then replaced him with Eze Madumere, his personal assistant of nearly 15year who he earlier appointed his Chief of Staff.

Having made Madumere his deputy, Rochas moved his son-in-law Uche Nwosu, to become his new Chief of Staff and went on to appoint his siblings, his wife, brothers, sisters, cousins, nephews and other relatives into strategic political positions in the state to the chagrin of a bemused people who could not come to terms with the fact that the so-called charity and care giver has transformed himself to a modern day emperor.

Having put in place what he envisioned would grow to become a quasi-dynasty with time, Rochas began to erect status of his assumed heroes and heroines in Owerri, the capital city of the state while the people yearned in vain for infrastructural development like roads, portable water and hospitals, among others.

While Rochas was busy erecting status, teachers and other civil servants in the state were starving due to non-payment of salaries, same with pensioners.

The thousands of Imolites he took food out of their mouths when he banned the use of tricycles also nursed their bruises with muffled groans.

Tired and fed up with the nuances of their governor, ndi’Imo resolved to wait and allow him finish his second tenure so they can have their peace, but not with Rochas.

The governor positioned his daughter’s husband, Uche Nwosu to take over from him; which to the people was a grievous fault, as Shakespeare would put it; and grievously, he paid for that fault.

On March 9, 2019, ndi’Imo trooped on mass to resist Rochas in an election that turned out to be a semi-revolution as the people cut short Rochas’s dream dynasty by rejecting his anointed as his successor.

By the time he leaves office as governor, Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha, in his sober moment may discover, though too late, that his greatest undoing, which also led to the imminent inglorious end of his eight-year reign, would be his indifference to the sensibilities of ndi’Imo, a kindred whose easy-going nature and love for oringo, most times, combine to mask their sophistication and principled spirits, and that way, deceive gullible fellows into taking them for granted. But that’s by the way.

The eyes of the world, especially of Imolites, like the lens of a camera, are now focused on Emeka Ihedioha, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives of Africa’s largest democracy.

A well-educated techno-bureaucrat, the in-coming Imo State Governor has long prepared himself for service at whatever levels by acquiring leadership skills and necessary knowledge from some of the best learning institutions in the world, including but not limited to Stanford University USA, Harvard University USA, Oxford University Business School and London School of Economics, UK, as well as the University of British Columbia, Canada.

Apart from formal education and trainings, Ihedioha has lived in palaces and washed the feet of many kings and royalties; and in the process, mastered the art of governance and the politics there-from.

To mention but a few, he was a Press Officer to Senator Iyorchia Ayu as Senate President; served as Chief Press Secretary to Deputy Senate President, Sen. Albert Legogie;

was Special Assistant to Special Adviser to President Obasanjo on Utilities; served as Special Assistant to Senate President Chuba Okadigbo on Media and Publicity as well as Special Assistant to Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Political Matters; before winning election that saw him as a member of the House of Representatives beginning from 2003.

As an active lawmaker, Ihedioha served as chairman of many committees and as member of several others. He was again elected to the House of Representatives in 2007 and 2011, ending his legislative career on a sound note as Deputy Speaker up to 2015.

Although it is obvious that he would inherit a lot of challenges from the out-going administration, in capital, human and political developments because of the cluelessness of Rochas Okorocha on what governance is, as well as the iberiberism that characterized the era,

there is no doubt that Emeka Ihedioha has all it takes to surmount the obstacles and hoist the map of Imo on the world map in the next four or eight years, depending on his performance.

On the part of ndi’Imo, their readiness to give needed corporation and support to their in-coming leader is as obvious as light of the day. The determination they exhibited in standing firm against Rochas and all his incumbency apparatus during the May 9 governorship election and the joy with which they welcomed and celebrated the news of Ihedioha’s election as their next governor are shouting testimonies of a people ready for the dawn of a new day.