Imo: Buhari’s Visit: To Be Or Not To Be?

By Gideon Njoku

The political atmosphere in Imo State, a baby of the unprecedented political bitterness, has always been charged and tensed. It has been since that fateful day in January of 2020 when the Supreme Court removed the Governor, the Rt Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from office, and declared Senator Hope Uzodimma, All Progressives Congress, APC, as the Governor of the State. But it has taken an unprecedented slant in the past few days.

The tension is so thick one could cut it with a knife. And so is the bitterness. Raw anger. Even hatred. And a touch of envy and jealousy.

The ante went up when Governor Uzodimma, after about three weeks of a work visit to Abuja, came back to Imo and reeled out the success of his mission. A bag of goodies for the State.The icing on the cake was his announcement that the President, Muhammadu Buhari, would be in the State on Thursday, September 9, 2021, for an official visit.

A Victory For Uzodimma

Uzodimma is of the Roman Catholic Church. As they say, between now and tomorrow, Thursday, he should soak his Chaplet inside water, and pray that the President actually comes. It is not beyond Buhari to send either his Vice President, the cerebral Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, or even his Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the suave Boss Mustapha. That will be an anti- climax.

A Presidential visit to any State is a big deal. It seals relationships in a positive way. It brings goodies to the State. Promises are made and followed up. Deals are sealed. The President feels the people. Appreciates what they are going through. Hears from them, as in this case, as planned, during a Townhall meeting. But, especially for Uzodimma, he would hit smack on the bull’s eyes.

There are a couple of reasons why.

Since Buhari’s election as the President, he has not paid a state visit to the State. This will be his first. Indeed, no President, since 1999, had paid an official visit to the State. They visit only during campaigns, make the usual noise with their entourage, and leave.
Not even during the Rochas Okorocha Government did Buhari visit, inspite of the fact that Okorocha was the first APC Governor in the South-east.

For Uzodimma, therefore, the stakes are high. His ego too is at stake. A Buhari visit will be an endorsement of his activities in the State, activities that have, at every point, been pilloried by the opposition.

Opposition At Work

Since the news of the President’s planned visit became public, the virile opposition has been on an over-drive. Everything has been said to either rubbish the visit, or present it as no big deal.
Here are just a few tit bits:

*What is Buhari coming to do in Imo?
*What is he coming to commission?
*Is he coming to commission mortuaries filled with corpses of Imo youths?
*Oh, he is coming to inspect RUGA settlements and grazing routes in the State.
*Uzodimma is “painting” roads for the President.
*He is coming to endorse corruption and failed projects.
*Uzodimma spent 28 days in Abuja just to beg the President to visit Imo.
*And, on and on and on.

There is no capable shadow of doubt about it, the opposition does realise the importance of the President’s visit, and would be praying he cancels, or sends a representative. In which case, they would literally throw a party. They will rejoice. They will taunt Governor Uzodimma. He would be laughed at. And it would open another chapter in their war against him and his administration. Snubbed by Buhari, they would scream.

Enters, IPOB
Added to the overdrive by the opposition to rubbish the intended visit, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, has entered the fray. It has literally barred President Buhari from Imo State and the whole of the South-east. It said it does not want to see Buhari in Imo.

Its leadership says if he comes, Buhari would be welcomed by empty streets, empty stadium, empty hall.
And they are serious.

To make sure the visit fails, IPOB has deployed its most potent weapon – sit-at-home order. In a release signed by Mazi Chika Edoziem, IPOB’s Head of Department of State, the Group declared what it called “an emergency Sit-At-Home Order” on Thursday, the day of the planned Presidential visit.

Initially, IPOB declared every Monday of every week a Sit-At-Home in the South-east as a weapon to pressurise the Government to release from detention and prosecution, its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, and brought back to Nigeria, Kanu, a British citizen, is being prosecuted for alleged sundry offences against the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The every Monday Sit-At-Home Order has since been reviewed by the IPOB leadership to just the days Kanu would appear in Court at a Federal High Court in Abuja, yet it has not worked.
Controversy dogs the review. And, out of fear, people are forced to still sit at home on Mondays.

Not for nothing.

A few of those who dared have bitter stories to tell. Their businesses have gone down the drain as punishment. IPOB warns that those who disobey Thursday’s Order would have themselves to blame.

Enemy’s Enemy As Friend
That is the case here. As far as the opposition in Imo is concerned, Buhari and Uzodimma are their common enemies. No good can come out of them. No wonder opposition platforms have become an outlet for the IPOB Sit-At-Home Order against Thursday to make nonsense of Buhari’s planned visit. It is almost being celebrated.

Fear of violence

There is the fear of violence in Imo, and by extension other South-east States. If the President is visiting, unprecedented number of security agents, especially, the Military, will be deployed.
Meaning there is likely to be a clash, and possible bloodshed if anybody tries to disrupt the visit in any guise. Innocent people may likely be caught in the crossfire.
Many APC members from across the South-east will storm Imo to receive the President. The APC, in a release, has asked people to come out en masse and receive the President. Problem is: How safe will the road be for them?

Already, the Arewa Youths Forum, pointing accusing fingers, has warned that it would retaliate in like manner, in all Northern States if the President or his entourage is harassed in Imo.

Will the General cave in to threats and blackmail?

Buhari is a retired Army General. He is taciturn too.
He is also said to be strong- willed, and not easily persuaded by emotions.

The question is, will he cave in to the IPOB threat and the opposition’s stand and cancel what has been termed a first historic State visit of a President to Imo?
Tomorrow beckons. And will tell.