By Charles Igbo
He had planned a visit to his beloved state, a state which governor he was for about eight months.
But it was aborted.
The immediate past governor of Imo State, the Rt. Honourable Emeka Ihedioha, has been away from the State since he was removed from office by the Supreme Court.
A seven-man panel of the Apex Court, headed by the Chief Justice of the Federation, Muhammad Tanko, on January 14, removed Ihedioha, and ordered that Senator Hope Uzodinma, the candidate of the APC in the election, be sworn-in as the Governor of the state.
Uzodinma was sworn-in, but Ihedioha and his party, the PDP, went back to the Supreme Court to ask for a review of the case.
On March, the 3rd, the Supreme Court finally laid the case to rest. Uzodinma was re-affirmed as the Governor.
On Wednesday, March the 11th, the news spread like wild fire that Ihedioha who travelled out of the state, a couple of days to his removal from office, and has since kept away, would come back on Thursday, March, the 12th.
Excitement among his PDP family boiled over. Along with his family, friends and associates, they planned to welcome him, not quietly.
A welcome reception at the Imo Airport as soon as he touched down was planned. Then, a mammoth crowd would accompany him to the PDP Imo Secretariat for a Press Conference and another reception in his honour.
But none of these was carried out. The joy and excitement were killed. All the plans ended in an anti-climax.
The end began when the state government raised an alarm to the effect that the PDP plans to cause mayhem in the state, in the name of welcoming the former governor back to the state. In a release signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Oguwike Nwachukwu, the government warned of the consequences of anybody hiding under the cover of welcoming Ihedioha back, to disrupt activities in the state and cause a security breach. It warned that it would not tolerate it.
This magazine gathered from reliable sources that the heads of Security agencies in Imo, also weighed in by calling Ihedioha, warning of the consequences, especially, as they noted that no permission had been sought from the Police for such expected huge gathering.
Ihedioha was said to have told them that he was coming home to be part of the PDP Ward Congress, and unaware of any plans to disrupt activities in the state.
Overnight, however, he decided to cancel the trip, to the disappointment of those whose expectations of seeing him were high.
In a statement cancelling his trip, the former Governor said his visit to Imo was not worth anybody’s blood. He insisted that it was the APC government which had hired thugs to cause mayhem in the state as soon as he arrived, emphasizing that he was not on exile, and that nobody can drive him into one.
Following is the full text of the statement he personally issued, cancelling his Imo visit.
“It has come to my attention that the Imo State government, yesterday issued a statement on my planned visit to Owerri this morning. As most people are well aware, I haven’t visited the state since the Supreme Court judgement of 14th January 2020 and was planning to come in to participate in the ongoing Congresses being conducted by my party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“While I have in recent weeks elected to stay away from family and friends in Imo, I am not aware that I have been exiled out of the state.
“Unfortunately, the statement by the Imo State government, made several spurious allegations, including that I plan to lead violent protests as well as import thugs to perpetrate violence. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“I am not, and have never been, a violent person. My reputation is that of peace and fair play. I have never propagated or tolerated violence. And I never will.
“On the contrary, I have been informed that the government of Imo State, acting in concert with some rogue elements within the security apparatus, is planning the arrest and detention of many of our supporters and to visit mayhem on the expected large crowd which they anticipate will come out to welcome me back home.
“By judging me by their own character, their scheme is to stigmatize and garb us in the toga of violence. These are the tendencies of unpopular and illegitimate regimes.
“It is therefore for the foregoing reasons that I have decided to postpone my trip to Owerrri so as to frustrate their evil plans and machinations.
My visit is not worth the life of any Imo citizen.
“However, the massive deployment of security personnel by the government as well as thugs cannot deter us and the majority of our people from pursuing our collective vision for a better Imo State.
“The constitutional rights, including the right to free speech and to freedom of movement, are inalienable. And nobody can take that away from me. I will certainly, by the grace of God, be visiting the state very soon.
Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha CON.
