Imo, Buhari’s Visit: You Misrepresented Mr President

By Gideon Njoku

President Muhammadu Buhari has dismissed as mischievous, those who he said deliberately misrepresented what he said in Owerri.

The President was on a one-day visit to Imo State on Thursday, September 9, 202!. Since then, the opposition has been awash with all kinds of stories to discredit the visit, and run Governor Hope Uzodimma down.

For instance, it has been alleged that Buhari commissioned uncompleted  projects. It has also been alleged that the Governor spent the sum of N700m to import people from Ebonyi and Kogi States to Imo to come and welcome President Buhari.

The latest is the  statement by the President after thanking the Governor. He had told the Governor that: “When you invite me next time, I will be more careful.”

That has been interpreted by the opposition to mean that the President was dissatisfied with his visit to Imo State. This has gone viral, with the opposition mocking the Governor.

But the President, on Sunday, September 12, denounced that interpretation as false, saying it was a complete misrepresentation of what he said.

In a statement signed by Femi Adesina, Buhari’s Adviser on Media and Publicity, the President said his statement was deliberately “contorted and twisted out of context.”

Following is the full text of the statement.

WHAT PRESIDENT BUHARI SAID (DIDN’T SAY) IN IMO STATE

“We have observed that President Buhari’s concluding remarks at the meeting with South East Leaders during his one day visit to Imo State is being deliberately contorted and twisted out of context.

“The purveyors of disinformation want Nigerians to believe that the President bluntly told Governor Uzodinma, ‘I’ll be careful with your future invitations.’

“They have adduced different meanings to the phrase, contrary to the context wherein the President spoke during his successful dialogue with leaders of thought from Igbo land.

“When he arrived at the banquet hall of Imo State Government House for his last assignment in Owerri, the President was welcomed by over 50 leaders from the South East who had waited patiently for him for a Town Hall engagement, after commissioning strategic projects in the State.

“The President began his extempore speech by acknowledging the caliber of personalities present at the dialogue including the President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Prof George Obiozor, former Chief of General Staff, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (Rtd),  former Senate President Ken Nnamani, former Military Governor in old Imo State, Senator Ike Nwachukwu, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, Chairman of the South East Governors Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, Deputy Governors of Abia, Anambra and the SSG of Enugu State, who represented the Governor, the Anglican Archbishop of Owerri Province, Most Rev David Onouha and his brother Bishop of Enugu, Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Ahaejiagamba Ndigbo,  just to mention but a few.

“An elated President Buhari made it clear that he was expressly overwhelmed by the reception and galaxy of personalities that travelled from the five South Eastern States to have a heart-to-heart discussion with him in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

“His words were clear:

‘I am overwhelmed by this reception, overwhelmed in the sense that when I accepted the invitation by the Imo State Governor, who wants to justify investments the government has done to the people of Imo State, I thought I would see the bridges, the  roads and a few renovations.

‘He didn’t tell me he was going to get the whole Igbo leadership here. So in the future when he invites me, I’ll know what to do. But I think he has done what the military didn’t like. He has achieved surprise. He has surprised me beyond description.’

“Later, in his concluding statement at the same event, the President made reference to his earlier remarks on the ‘‘surprise’’ action pulled by the Governor. On a lighter note, he quipped:

‘Governor of Imo State, cannot thank you enough, but I will be careful with your future invitations.’

“The President’s historic visit to Imo State was very successful and the Igbo leaders who met him shared the same enthusiasm that his coming to the Eastern heartland would bring peace, foster unity, encourage good and better understanding among the citizenry.

“Archbishop David Onuoha, who is the Anglican Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, must have summed up the mood in the words of the prayer offered at the event:

‘‘Thank You dear Lord for our nation Nigeria and her people with diverse backgrounds, nationalities and cultures. Surely You did not make any mistakes in bringing us together.

‘‘Your purpose is for us to harness our potentials/strength to build a strong and virile nation. May this purpose never be defeated.

‘‘Glory be unto You for bringing Your servant and our dear President, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, safely to this State. Blessed be Your name for his life and the giant strides he is taking for the wellbeing of our nation.

‘‘Thank you for the huge infrastructural development that is taking place in various parts of the country.

‘‘Lord, Nigeria is a great nation with numerous challenges. We pray that you endue our President with heavenly wisdom, grace and strength. In his resolve to serve this nation, he will not fail, fall or falter. He will end his tenure strong and well to the glory and honour of your name and the good of our people.

‘‘May his visit today bring peace, foster unity, encourage good and better understanding among the citizens of this great nation; may it bring prosperity and restoration.”