Anxiety, tension reigned on Saturday, February, 22, as the Local Government Election took place in Osun State amidst allegations of excesses on the part of security agencies.
The Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Hashim Abioye, claimed that operatives of the Nigeria Police Force arrested staff of the Commission who were on election duty across the State.
Abioye made the claim in a statement issued via the Commission’s official X page.
He ommended the electorate for coming out to exercise their right, and appealed to the media community for the inability of the commission to provide accreditation materials.
According to him, the sealing of the electoral body office by the Police was responsible for the lapses.
Abioye maintained that for the units where the material didn’t arrive early, it was due to the Police arrest of the officials conveying the materials, adding that new materials have been deployed and voting is ongoing.
He said, “Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested staff of the commission who are on election duty across the state.
“For the units where material didn’t arrive early, it was due to Police arrest of the officials conveying the materials. However, new materials have been deployed, and voting is now ongoing.”
In a bid to foster family cohesion, stability and provide additional care for the newborn, the Imo State House Of Assembly has urged Governor Hope Uzodimma to approve the introduction of paternity leave for male officers in the State Public/Civil Service.
This was the outcome of the Motion, during Plenary on Thursday 20th February 2025, Chiefly sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon. Amara Chyna Iwuanyanwu.
Moving the Motion, Rt Hon. Iwuanyanwu, who is also the Member Representing Nwangele State Constituency, explained that it was borne out of necessity. He stated that newborns rely heavily on bonds with parents who influence their emotional, social, environmental bonding, growth and development.
He highlighted the vital role fathers play in a child’s emotional, social, environmental, cognitive growth and development. He, also, stressed that introducing paternity leave for male officers would allow them to provide the much needed support for their wives who came out of the labour room.
His words: “Imo State is a progressive State with a progressive Governor, who is willing to better the lot of Public/Civil Servants. Therefore, If this Motion is given the required nod, it will help to resolve a lot of marital issues. The Federal Government and some states like, Enugu, Oyo, Ondo and Lagos have implemented paternity leave policies, and it has geometrically improved Public/Civil Service morale, while strengthening family bond and unity”.
Governor Hope Uzodimma
Iwuanyanwu further noted that the Federal Government had, earlier, in a circular issued on the 25th of November, 2022, through the immediate past Head of Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan approved paternity leave in the Public Service of the Federation, noting that 14 working days was approved.
The Motion which was seconded by the Chief Whip And Member Representing Oru-East State Constituency, Hon Chigozie Nwaneri, was co-sponsored by the following lawmakers :
* Hon Kanayo Onyemaechi.
Hon Chigozie Nwaneri.
Hon Johnleoba Iheoha.
* Hon Okey Ernest Udeze.
Hon Chisom Ojukwu.
Hon Obinna Ambrose Egu.
Hon Innocent Ikechukwu Ikpamezie.
Other lawmakers who supported the Motion with commendable submissions are:
Impressed by the submissions of his Colleagues, the Speaker, Rt Honourable Chike Olemgbe, who presided, put it to vote and it was unanimously adopted. Thereafter, he Ruled as follows :
“Be it resolved by this Honourable House to urge the Governor of Imo State, His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma to approve the introduction of 14 working days Paternity Leave Policy in the Imo State Public/Civil Service and subsequently, direct the Head Of Service of the State to issue a circular to that effect.”
The Clerk was directed to communicate the Resolution of the House to the Appropriate Quarters.
The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd, has decried the worsening human rights violations in the South-east States of the country, and threatened that the Commission will no longer tolerate this serious act of indiscipline from any serving Police Officer.
DIG Argungu said the Commission will henceforth not hesitate to put its disciplinary processes in motion to see to the dismissal of errant Officers who have found it difficult to work within approved boundaries.
He spoke at the South East Stakeholders Summit on Peace and security and Public Hearing on Human Rights violations in South East of Nigeria which is currently ongoing in Enugu.
His goodwill message at the Summit was presented on his behalf by the Head of Press and Public Relations/ Spokesman of the Commission, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani.
The PSC Chairman said the Commission is aware of the serious human rights violations by some misguided Police Officers in the South East, ” who against the Commission’s several warnings to stay away from civil matters have continued to swim in it because of the financial attraction “.
He said the Commission has severally warned that Police Officers should stay clear of land matters, debt and rent collection, marital disputes and other civil matters and allow the courts to do their duties. ” But we have discovered that the allure of filthy money has become their albatross as they have continued to perpetuate this evil act”.
DIG Argungu said he was excited that the summit is holding in Enugu, the colonial capital of Eastern Nigeria. According to him, the Eastern Region has of late become the hot bed of insecurity in the country and the unofficial Headquarters of Human Rights violations.
He commended the Organizers of the programme for bringing the searchlight on this topical national issue.
The PSC Chairman said the Commission whole heartedly identifies with the Organizers “on this mission in the South East, adding that the zone needs peace and security.
According to DIG Argungu “the Commission is very much interested in what is happening here especially as it affects the entire South East.
“we are no more comfortable with the abuse of Office by some security personnel detailed to provide security across the region. We understand there is a high level of insecurity in the zone especially with the ceaseless and senseless attacks from brainwashed youths from this zone masquerading as freedom Fighters and killing their brothers and sisters”
He said the Commission has also continued to observe the corruption and extortion that dots all the roads traversing the region ” by virtually all the security operatives who are supposed to safeguard the roads and restore unhindered movement of people, goods and services. The road blocks mounted by these security Agencies, he lamented ” have unfortunately turned into toll gates where road users are forced under gunpoint to part with money”.
The PSC Chsirman told the summit that the South East must be freed of these gangs of Police Men who have found it difficult to work within established boundaries.
He commended the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah for the transformative governance that he has brought to the state especially in the area of security..” I am aware that Enugu State has redeemed itself from the Monday Sit at home that had crippled the economy of the state and other South East states.
He assured the Governor that the Commission will always stand by him to collectively fight “this war to comprehensively free the zone of banditry, crime and criminality and other emerging security menace in the South East of Nigeria.
All the obstacles thrown on the way of the Osun State Local Council Elections, notwithstanding, the exercise took off peacefully on Saturday, February 22, 2025.
While he voted at his ward in his Community, Ede, Governor Ademola Adeleke hailed President Bola Tinubu as a true democrat.
Adeleke emphasised that he has the utmost respect for Tinubu, especially, for his solid democratic credentials, and so, did not, and would never say anything negative about him.
Adeleke, who spoke after he cast his vote praised President Tinubu for his support for the rule of law. He noted that it was that support that has ensured the peaceful conduct of the ongoing Local Government Elections in the State.
According to the Governor’s Spokesperson Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke noted the collaborative relationship between the Osun State Government and the Federal Government “as a key factor in the peaceful conduct of the elections”.
His words: “The President is a true democrat who believes in the rule of law and the sanctity of the judicial process. His commitment to upholding democratic principles has played a vital role in the peaceful atmosphere we are witnessing today.
“In my first state broadcast on this matter, I affirmed my respect for the President’s dedication to democracy and the rule of law. Mr. President will never support any action that violates the constitution or endangers peace.
“I have confidence in President Tinubu’s leadership.
“We know the President will always insist on fairness and justice.”
Both the Federal Government and the Police had, inexplicably asked the Governor not to proceed with the Election. This was after the All Progressives Congress forcefully took over the headquarters of Local Government Areas in the State, citing a disputed Court of Appeal ruling.
However, on Friday, an Osun State High Court gave the State a go-ahead to hold the Elections. But just as the exercise was going on peacefully, the Police, who did not show up at voting centres, sealed the Headquarters of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission.
Governor Adeleke cast his vote at Ward 02, Unit 09, Sagba Abogunde in Ede, as early as 7.55 a.m.
Following his vote, the governor encouraged eligible citizens to participate actively in the electoral process.
“Grassroots democracy is essential for national development. I urge everyone to come out and vote without fear or intimidation.”
He praised the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) for its efficient organization of the polls.
“The seamless voting process is a testament to the commission’s dedication and hard work,” Adeleke noted.
The Police Service Commission and the Nigeria Police Force are set to conclude the 2022/2023 recruitment of Police Constables into the Nigeria Police Force.
The Medical screening for this batch is scheduled to commence from February 26th and end on March 12th 2025.
Applicants who took the Computer Based Tests (CBT) on 5th – 6th March, 2024 but were not listed in the first stream of successful candidates called up for training are to log onto the recruitment portal https://apply.policerecruitment.gov.ng to check their application status and print invitation slip.
The exercise is scheduled to hold at designated Police Hospitals in the 17 Police Zonal Headquarters spread across the country on date and time indicated on applicants invitation slip.
The Portal will open today, Saturday, February 22nd, 2025 at 12noon. Invited applicants are to ensure they appear for the medical screening exercise on the date and time indicated on their invitation slip.
Invited applicants, according to a release by Ikechukwu Ani, Head, Press and Public Relations, PSC, are also to appear in clean white T-shirts and short with the following; invitation slip, form submission slip and NIN slip.
Despite a subsisting court order restraining it from disrupting power supply services to its millions of customers, the Aba Power Limited, on Friday, February 21, 2025, embarked on a massive disconnection exercise in Aba and other parts of its area of operations.
This is even as the Management of the Power Distribution giant insisted that they have not been served any Court order.
The disconnection exercise was reportedly carried out simultaneously in all the nine Local Councils of Abia state that make up the Aba Ring Fence, the operational area of APL.
According to this Magazine’s findings, the operation has resulted in the disruption of power supply services to thousands of homes and business outfits.
The Source reports that an Abia High Court, Isiala Ngwa Division, had on Thursday, February 20, 2025 issued the restraining order in a motion ex-parte filed by the Aba Electricity Consumers Forum AECF, against the APL.
The trial Judge, Justice Enyinnaya Okezie had, in addition, directed all relevant court papers, including the restraining order to be served on the defendants – APL, and its parent body, Geometric by substituted means.
Similarly, Justice Okezie also ordered the defendants not to tamper with the power supply services to their consumers pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
The claimants in their application argued that the planned mass disconnection exercise by the defendants, if allowed to go on, will have severe negative consequences on consumers and their businesses.
The Court adjourned to March 19, 2025, for the commencement of hearing on the motion notice.
But the APL in a statement issued on Thursday by its Management, shockingly described the Court order as fake ,which was equally secured by a non-existent group.
According to the Management, no Interim Court order has been served on the Company purportedly stopping it from either disconnecting its consumers or providing legitimate services under its licensed terms and conditions.
The Company described the claimants, the Aba Electricity Consumers Forum as “a faceless group of individuals ,parading an equally fake court order”.
Consequently, the power distribution outfit enjoined the public to disregard the recent radio announcements/news items ,and other related media publications, insisting they were sponsored by the “faceless group”.
The company further noted that as a law abiding organization, it will abide by any lawful order of a constitutionally constituted Court, calling on its customers to ignore what it described as as nothing other than an inciting propaganda.
The APL Management accused some people of only trying to hide under a nebulous entity to incite violence, and bring physical harm to the Aba Power staff and Assets.
It assured consumers of its readiness and commitment towards improved service delivery.
“Aba Power will continue to supply reliable and constant electricity to its customers within the nine Local Government Areas of Abia state (Ring Fence Area).
“The recent uninterrupted power supply for 1 month ,December 17, 2024 to January 16, 2025, remains a watershed in the history of power supply in Aba, and the rest of the Ring Fence Area and even Nigeria”, the APL Management stated.
However, despite the authenticity of its claim of remarkable improved service delivery, the Company may have been economical with the truth as regards the existence of the restraining court order and that of the claimants.
For one, the claimants, this magazine can authoritatively confirm, had, before now, been engaged in many troubling-shooting efforts with NEPA-EEDC and APL after inheriting EEDC.
It is therefore surprising for such a pressure group which activities predated APL to be described as non existent and fake.
Furthermore, checks by this medium equally confirmed the existence of the said Court order.
The Anambra State Police Command, on Friday, February 21, disclosed that the two suspects involved in the killing of Anambra State Lawmaker, Hon. Justice Azuka, were neither in handcuffs nor leg chains when they escaped.
Instead, he disclosed to the shock of not a few, that to lure their accomplice out, the suspects were allowed to drive a car, on their own, to give the impression that they brought another stolen car. Apparently with no Policemen in the car with them, they sped off as soon as they arrived their destination, and disappeared till date. Two weeks after, nobody has seen them.
However, the Police assured that there is no need to press the panic buttons over the escape of the two suspects because they are not the prime suspects.
The new Police Commissioner, CP Ikioye Orutugu, noted that the unfortunate development pre-dated his assumption of office.
The State Police Command’s latest reaction is coming on the heels of the continued public criticisms that have been trailing the escape from custody of two suspects in the kidnap and subsequent murder of the Labour Party LP Lawmaker.
Honourable Justice Azuka
Since announcing the escape of the suspects on Tuesday February 18, the police has been facing mounting condemnation from all quarters ,with not a few suggesting a possible underhand dealings from within the police hierarchy .
But at a media briefing on Friday, CP Orutugu noted that the escapees are not principal suspects in the gruesome murder.
According to him, the two suspects, now at large are secondary suspects who, unfortunately, escaped while leading operatives to some receivers of items from the main hoodlums .
Similarly, the CP explained that the two suspects had already escaped before he was posted to the state.
According to him, contrary to public perceptions that the suspects escaped while in custody, CP Orutugu noted that they escaped while leading operatives to arrest receivers of stolen items.
” When I took over as the Commissioner, I said I am here to give insight into the recent case of the escape of two suspects arrested in connection with the killing of a Lawmaker.
“The incident happened two days before I assumed office .By this, I mean that the incident had occurred before I arrived.
“A lot of information has been out there, and people have had their opinions ,and there is nothing wrong with that as this is a democracy.
“However, there is a need to keep facts straight. My findings have shown that the incident happened on February 8, 2025 in Obosi .
The two suspects Ikemefuna Ossai, and Chinedu Okoli, are among 11 suspects who confessed and already paraded.
“The two are not the principal suspects. They are drivers that drove vehicles for the suspects, and that is not to say they have a right to escape.
“The Principal suspects are intact. The two were taken out for further arrests. A suspect, Tochukwu Okolisa, from Anambra, was identified as the buyer of the jeep and belongings of the Lawmaker, so to lure him in, the suspects were allowed to drive, and also tell him they had another vehicle for sale.
“It was during the operation to arrest Tochukwu, that the suspects drove off, abandoned the vehicle and escaped into the bush”, CP Orutugu narrated.
The State Commissioner of Police, however, reaffirmed the commitment of the Command towards re-arresting the escaped suspects.
In a strategic move to bolster surveillance and enhance revenue generation, the Surveillance Unit of the Shipping Development Department at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has been granted single-user access to the Windward tool of the C4i intelligence system.
This development extends the application of the C4i facility previously focused on safety and security into shipping development and revenue optimization. By leveraging advanced technology, NIMASA aims to strengthen intelligence gathering, improve maritime surveillance, and block revenue leakages, ensuring a more efficient and transparent system.
The Management of NIMASA, under the leadership of Dr. Dayo Mobereola, has reiterated its commitment to improving internal processes to achieve optimal performance across all operational areas.
The C4i Centre, which stands for Command, Control, Communication, Computer, and Intelligence, is a critical component of the Deep Blue Project. It plays a key role in intelligence gathering and data collection, contributing significantly to securing Nigeria’s maritime domain. As a result of these efforts, the country has maintained zero piracy incidents for over 24 months.
This latest integration of C4i intelligence tools into NIMASA’s surveillance operations is expected to further enhance maritime security, regulatory compliance, and economic efficiency within the sector.
The altercation in the Senate Chamber between Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has continued to generate mixed comments.
Amidst other reactions, a Pan-African Women’s Advocacy Group has called for the suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Senate.
The Group under the auspices of Africa Arise for Change Network, criticised Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan over the altercation with Akpabio, and described her behaviour as “disgraceful and unbefitting of a public office holder.”
In a statement issued on Friday by Patricia Idoko, the Country Representative of the organisation, the group said Akpoti-Uduaghan’s actions on the Senate floor during Thursday’s plenary session undermined the principles of leadership and decorum expected of women in governance.
The controversy erupted after Akpoti reportedly defied a directive from the Senate Chief Whip regarding sitting reassignments, following the defection of two Senators.
While others complied, the Kogi Senator refused to vacate her previous seat, leading to an exchange with the Senate President.
According to Africa Arise for Change Network, her conduct, which included raised voices and aggressive gestures, was a violation of Senate rules and an attempt to manipulate the situation for personal gain.
The group accused her of “political immaturity” and “reckless defiance” of parliamentary procedures.
“We take immense pride in seeing more African women take up leadership positions and break barriers, but we do not support any woman who undermines the values of discipline, respect, and decorum in public service,” the statement read.
The organisation further called for Akpoti’s long-term suspension from the Senate, arguing that disciplinary action was necessary to preserve order in the Red Chamber. It also suggested that she seeks professional counselling to address what it described as a “lack of emotional restraint”.
The group maintained that Akpoti’s actions did not reflect the true strength and resilience of African women in leadership, adding that she had done a disservice to the cause of female representation in politics.
Her continued presence in the Senate, the group warned, could damage the reputation of women in governance, urging the Senate leadership to take “decisive action” to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
“Being a leader is a privilege, not a platform for unruly behaviour,” the statement concluded, insisting that Akpoti owed the Senate, the people of Kogi State, and Nigerians an unreserved public apology.
On Thursday, February 20, 2025 a piece was forwarded to me by someone quite close but who never sees anything good in what the Governor of Imo State, Dist. Sen. Hope Uzodimma does. His, is a typical case of hate without cause.
So, whenever I see a forwarded item from the person in question I am not deceived about his intention.
As was expected, he was the same person who forwarded to me the article written by Dr. Sam Amadi, the former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) that was circulated on social media same day, knowing full well it contained lines that cast aspersions on my principal.
Smart Sam had captioned his piece: “If I were Hope Uzodimma,” as if he doesn’t know he cannot be him.
Because I know to a large extent, who Sam is, including his mindset, I didn’t want to waste my time, his or that of our audience, before informing him that he cannot be Hope Uzodimma.
In the first place, Sam knows that no two individuals can be the same, no matter the method one wants to use to evaluate their anatomy and physiology, including their state of wisdom or foolishness.
Now, let us hazard a guess of who Sam Amadi is for the benefit of those who may be hearing his name for the first time.
I already said Sam was the former Chairman of NERC, a trained lawyer, who was at a time a fellow at the Care Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
He once held the position of Special Adviser to the President of the Senate of Nigeria, was Director of the Centre for Public Policy and Research in Lagos, Nigeria and Senior Legal Officer at The Human Rights Law Service in Nigeria.
Sam once worked as a Senior Counsel at Gani Fawehinmi Chambers and is an Associate with Olisa Agbakoba and Associates.
He holds a doctoral degree of law from Harvard, a LLB from University of Calabar, BL from Nigerian Law School, LLM from Harvard Law School and MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and teaches law in the University as as Associate Professor.
He has been this and that including a fellow of the Society of Project Management and Development Professionals International where he serves as a Member of Advisory Board.
Sen. Hope Uzodimma as the current Governor of Imo State is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and began his political career in the Second Nigerian Republic, joining the ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN), where he became the Imo State youth leader in 1983.
In the 1990s, with the aborted transition to the Third Nigerian Republic, Uzodimma featured prominently as a member of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP). In 1999, after the return to democracy, he joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he served as a member of the Party’s National Caucus, National Executive Committee and on the Board of Trustees, at various times between 1999 and 2017.
Mind you, in 2003, Uzodimma was the Imo State governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), a platform he used in contesting that year’s election when the then PDP denied him ticket.
Uzodimma was elected Senator for Imo West in April 2011 and served until June 2019. While in the Senate, he served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Customs and Excise as well as a member of several other committees including Banking and Finance; Culture and Tourism; Aviation; Police Affairs; and Power.
On January 14, 2020, Uzodimma was declared the rightful winner of the 2019 governorship poll in Imo State by the Supreme Court of Nigeria after the nullification of the election of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.
Uzodimma has several national, state, and local government honours and recognitions, including the Commander of the Order of Nigeria, CON, Chairman of Progressives Governors’ Forum, Chairman of South East Governors Forum, to name but a few.
Uzodimma holds a Bachelor’s in International Studies and Diplomacy from the Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States and an Advanced Diploma in Maritime Management Technology from the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State.
An accomplished private sector player with incredible knowledge in project management and execution, Uzodimma has not failed to bring his private sector competence and experience to bear in the way and manner he conducts the affairs of the State under his watch as a tested and experienced politician of more than 40 years.
He has authored many books and delivered several lectures in reputable institutions in and outside the country.
Now that we have an idea of who both Sam Amadi and Governor Uzodimma are, and why it is practically impossible for the former to dream of being the latter, can we then examine the intent in the piece in question credited to Sam?
First, Sam’s recourse to the caption, “If I were Hope Uzodimma,” was not only pejoratively couched to deceive, but he craftily tried to hide under it as pieces of advice, knowing full well that it oozes contradiction and subtle demeaning characterisations aimed at smearing Governor Uzodimma.
Governor Hope Uzodimma
Now, assuming but without conceding that Sam was out to provide sincere advice to the Governor he claims to respect, how come he digressed from the core reason for the advice if he was well intentioned, and delved into the politics of the Imo APC where a perceived crisis is only exiting in his imagination?
Does the manner Sam repeatedly emphasised on the governor being a lame duck, running a transactional government, the turn of Ngor Okpala person to succeed the governor having not produced one or a senator or ambassador, the need for the governor to dissolve his cabinet as condition for enduring legacy and for redeeming his tenure, among others, not suggest the intention of a man working Nicodemously towards a project where he appears, but economical with the truth in his so-called advice?
Truth is that Sam acted true to type – deliberately chose a convenient headline that he hid under to discredit the current government of Imo State and cast aspersions on the governor as lacking in development ideas, intellectual and managerial prowess to transform Imo and probably get a successor.
Part of the contradiction in Sam’s social media memoir is that he claims to know the governor’s strength and weaknesses, but I really doubt if he truly knows Uzodimma’s strength. Suffice it to say, therefore, that Sam is obviously one of those fellows who under rate Uzodimma, and at their own peril.
It is unfortunate that those struggling to grab power have found in the use of the word “transactional” in describing the way government of the day is run as the most potent tool to discredit their political opponents, but the reality is that when they have the ear of such persons in power that popular lexicon – transactional – is hardly remembered talk-less of being uttered by them.
If you read Sam’s piece between the lines, you must come to the conclusion about a man whose agitation is borne out of lack of unfettered access to Governor Uzodimma.
A man who thinks he is assumed to be good upstairs, but has not been brought too close by the powers that be. Don’t forget that Sam is used to the corridors of power in the years past, despite being a rights activist, social crusader and analyst.
If Sam thinks he wants to succeed Governor Uzodimma, it is his right to ascribe to such highest office in Imo State, but must he deploy blackmail, no matter how subtle, to achieve that? Will it not amount to the same transactional government he claims to be preaching against if Uzodimma covertly endorses him as his likely successor without taking into consideration his other equally very good friends from the same zone, including from Ngor Okpala?
It is most scandalous that someone of Sam’s standing will claim to be advising the Governor on what legacy he should leave behind after seeing and feeling all the legacy projects that Uzodimma has, so far, tirelessly laboured to bring about in Imo in the past five years.
Only those the devil has condemned to perpetual blindness will pretend not to have seen Governor Uzodimma’s massive road infrastructure that has redefined the status of Imo.
May be Sam has not been coming home and should be reminded that Owerri-Orlu, Owerri- Okigwe, Owerri-Mbaise-Umuahia, Mgbidi- Oguta, Orlu-Mgbe-Akokwa-Uga roads, to name but a few are now motorable. When he finds time to visit his Imerienwe community in Ngor Okpala, I am sure he plies through the Bola Tinubu Drive from the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport. Does that corridor look like manna from heaven to Sam?
Too many city roads in Owerri have since worn new looks. The Assumpta flyover is few months away from commissioning. Same as the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Conference Centre. Please, can someone take Sam to the Imo State House of Assembly Complex to see whether the edifice qualifies as a legacy project or not. I believe he must have heard about the brand New Exco Chambers built by Governor Uzodimma.
Governor Uzodimma is working day and night to light up the entire Imo State before he leaves office in 2028 using the Orashi Electricity Company of Imo State, and methinks that if NERC under Sam’s Chairmanship had done her job properly the scarce resources the government is deploying to the power sector today to give the people light could have been diverted to another infrastructure.
But unfortunately, in Sam’s epistle of advice, I did not read anywhere he singled out one project executed by Governor Uzodimma in five years for commendation, typical of critics and agitators for political office.
To him, the governor has not done anything. He is lacking in the depth of ideas and policy acumen that can only be found in a transformative leader like Sam, no more no less as the long awaited Messiah the people of Imo State need.
The pull him down syndrome (PHDS) which many so-called leaders in Imo State wear like a cloth is so nauseating and should be discouraged by all men of good will, including Sam Amadi.
The last time I checked, Sam has not given-in on his interest to be the governor of our dear State. In 2019 he tried his luck under APGA where they fleeced him to the pants his savings. Again, in 2023 his hope of leveraging his relationship with then presidential candidate, Peter Obi to clinch the Labour Party ticket got complicated.
I don’t know whether he is still in Labour Party today, what his relationship with Obi looks like, whether he has joined the others who are daily jumping out of the Labour Party, using every available space to defect to the other political parties. But whatever is the case, should there not be decorum in the way of conducting political activities?
Sam still believes, like others in his mould, that he is the best thing that can happen to Imo State, hence, no other person(s) serving or aspiring may be qualified. His hunch tells him he should be secretly crowned by Uzodimma, not by the people of Imo State whose right it is to elect who they want.
The fact that one is a good television analyst, lawyer, teacher, rights activist, does not mean the person can also be a good politician and governor. It goes without saying, also, that there are other fellows with competencies that are far better than what you may think you have and because they have refused to be willfully exposed to the kleig light, you think you are delivered from heaven to be adored.
In the build up to the 2023 governorship election, Sam was quoted to have said he will not give any delegate a kobo to vote for him, a comment which, to his supporters, was a recipe for disaster and failure.To such supporters, the bigger implication is that he is not the type who can make sacrifices for them. Yet, he sees himself as the best man for the job without knowing that being the best in politics could be relative.
By the way, who tells Sam that Governor Uzodimma is not conscious of who will competently take Imo State to the next level after him? Or does Sam think that after working so hard to restart Imo State on the current trajectory of economic prosperity and growth, Governor Uzodimma will close his eyes to who will succeed him and not fritter away the gains he has worked so hard to record?
Make no mistake about it, Governor Uzodimma will be alive to his responsibility till January 14, 2028. You can take that to the bank if you so wish. It is in your interest and the interest of your fellow political office agitators and critics to perish the thought of the governor being a lame duck, barely one year into his second term in office. Don’t even try to force him, using subterfuge, into such position the way most of you are wont to doing in the past because you will not succeed with Hope Uzodimma.
Instead, I urge you to pray to God for his good health and that of his team, because by the end of this year, the tendency is that you may not recognise Imo State, including Ngor Okpala based on the ongoing development initiatives lined up that will affect the lives of Imo people positively.
Imo people, particularly the Elders Council, are happy and grateful to the Governor for accepting their proposal for power to shift to Owerri zone from 2028. Everyone is also happy with the governor the way he is working hard to actualise the desire of the people regarding power shift. And Owerri zone, you and I know, is not only Ngor Okpala.
One thing you can be rest assure is that at the appropriate time, the right person from Owerri zone, with the support of our brothers/sisters from Orlu and Okigwe zones, who is a real and committed member of the APC, and who understands the policy framework and development blueprint of Imo State from the time Governor Uzodimma took over, and more than prepared to take the State to another level, will emerge.
But under no circumstances will those who never wished Governor Uzodimma well during his tenure, or those who covertly or overtly sabotaged his government through their actions or deeds, will be considered.
My own advice – use your tongue to count your teeth.
Nwachuku is Chief Press Secretary/ Special Adviser Media to the Governor
