By Gideon Njoku
“To the best of my knowledge, Mr Onoh did not even make a phone call, let alone visit once to see his brother-in-law (Ojukwu) or his sister, (Bianca), who tended to him with deep affection”
Mr. Peter Obi’s cerebral and irrepressible Media Aide, Valentine Obienyem, a Lawyer, has, literally, asked Dr Josef Onoh to shut-up, especially, when issues that require men and women with integrity and morals to speak are at stake.
He also rebuked Onoh for hiding behind late Biafran Leader, Dim Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, his brother-in-law, to mask his own shadows. “You cannot invoke Ojukwu to mask your own shadows”, Obienyem fired at Onoh.
Obienyem was responding to Onoh’s attack on Obi over the latter’s assurance that if elected President, he would serve for only one term in office. Attacking Obi, Onoh said that Obi is not capable of keeping to his words, and cited Obi’s exit from the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, after he had made a firm promise to Ojukwu that he would never exit from the political party.
But Obienyem, in response dismissed Onoh’s position as“distasteful and desperate” and urged Onoh to gi ahead and name one by one those promises Obi made and broke.
Obienyem: “It is unbefitting for Dr. Onoh to drag Ojukwu’s name into cheap political commentary.” Delving into Obis very close relationship with the revered Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Obienyem said: “Mr. Obi treated Ojukwu with deep affection, visiting him over ten times in a UK hospital.
“Upon Ojukwu’s death, Obi, who had just returned from visiting him and was at the Abuja airport, immediately switched on his phone. Looking pale and sullen, he showed me a message from Ojukwu’s wife, which read: ‘Thank you very much. You have tried your best. He is gone. I am in pains.’
“‘Obi had to take the next available flight to Lagos and returned to London that same morning on Virgin Atlantic, where he managed to secure an economy ticket. He did this out of profound respect for Ojukwu. To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Onoh did not even make a phone call, let alone visit once to see his brother-in-law or his sister who tended to him (Ojukwu) with deep affection.”
Continued Obienyem: “Even in death, Mr. Obi’s reverence for Ojukwu was unmistakable. The burial accorded Ojukwu, organised under Obi’s leadership, remains one of the best in history.
“While funerals should not ordinarily be used as political yardsticks, the scale, solemnity, and dignity of that ceremony reflected the depth of respect Obi had for him.”
Obienyem lamented what he described as ‘‘the reckless invocation of revered Igbo names like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu by political opportunists desperate for visibility and favour.”
Comparing how it is in other tribes to what seems to be the normal in Igboland, Obienyem was at pains and pointed out:
“I sincerely doubt if others from other parts of the country would take in vain the name of their dead prominent people in such a disrespectful manner. Why then do some Igbo politicians degrade their own icons this way?”
He then descended on Onoh’s record as a person and said: “This is a man who has been dogged by allegations of academic forgery, ranging from a questionable WAEC certificate to disputed NYSC and University credentials.” He did not, also spare Onoh’s political credentials which he described as inconsistent and rooted in “stomach infrastructure rather than principle.”
His words: “Here is someone who vigorously defended Tinubu in 2023, only to turn against the same administration after failing to secure an appointment. Now, with elections approaching, he is once again signalling his readiness to be used – even against his own people.”
Obienyem described Onoh’s public statements as “abrasive, self-serving, immature, and driven more by ambition than reason.”
As for Mr. Peter Obi’s one-term vow, Obienyem emphasized: “Mr. Obi’s commitment reflects a deep sense of responsible leadership and moral clarity. For someone like Josef Onoh, dogged by controversy and demonstrably lacking a moral compass to question that vow is both ironic and offensive.”
He repeated his challenge to Onoh: “Let him name one promise Obi made and failed to keep. Obi’s record speaks for itself.”
He rubbished the arguments against single-term leadership, and asserted that the framers of Nigeria’s Constitution were not naïve in prescribing a renewable four-year term.
“Their intent was clear – and within that constitutional framework, a leader still has every moral right to voluntarily commit to serving only one term, especially to achieve noble end such as respect for equity as represented by zoning.”
He ended by dismissing Onoh with a wave of the hand: “In a sane society, character matters. Before one throws stones, they must ensure the platform beneath them is not riddled with rot. Dr. Josef Onoh lacks the moral standing to speak on Mr. Obi – or on any matter requiring sober reflection.”
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