By Uche Onwuchekwa
During the solemn Christian ritual of communing with God over the painful exit of the revered mother of Senator Osita Izunaso, Ezinne Florence Izunaso, at Oha-Akpu, Oru West local government area of Imo State last Saturday, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state, in his usual tradition, did not disappoint us by his contemptuous response.
The dust of embarrassment raised by protocol breach by Governor Rochas Okorocha is yet to settle.
It is foolhardy to read Okorocha’s diversionary preposterous reason he could not recognize the incumbent Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere, claiming he appealed the historic judgment of Imo High Court on September 25, 2018 presided by Hon. Justice Benjamin Iheka, where the purported impeachment of Prince Madumere was declared null, void and of no effect.
In utter ignorance, Okorocha who had previously claimed he knew nothing about the impeachment plot against Prince Madumere, unknowingly through his inconsistent media aide, acknowledged that he was the Chief sponsor of satanic plots against Prince Madumere, including impeachment.
Governor Okorocha’s dull reason he chose not to recognize the Deputy Governor shows an unfortunate understanding of a Governor who has chosen to continually wallow in absurdity, with all the retinue of advisers both in legal profession and other areas at his disposal. Right question would be; is it that the blade is not sharp or the barber does not know how to cut?
Another vexatious and contemptuous issue is the claim by Governor Okorocha that he appealed the Deputy Governor’s victory at the court of competent jurisdiction. This is nonetheless another flip side of disgraceful administrative architecture of Okorocha’s regime. That a State like Imo peopled with the intellectuals and egg heads to be wallowing in the wilderness of crass ignorance despite the employment of an Attorney General, to say the least, is disdainful.
May we remind Okorocha and his court jester called Onwuemeodo that the court judgment that nullified Prince Madumere’s impeachment was declaratory with a restraining perpetual injunction against the emergence or reference to any third party as being the position of the Deputy Governor. More so, Prince Madumere is an elected officer of the government and not Okorocha’s appointee and therefore the office shan’t be left void.
We also state that there is no such thing as Deputy Governor designate and is not recognized by Nigerian constitutions or the extant laws of the land. This abnormality also calls to question the educational background of those managing Chief Okorocha or could it be that they are only using this disgraceful tactics to fleece him of the State’s common wealth.
Without mincing words, His Excellency, the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere regrets ever toiling to invest so much in a mere egocentric, greedy, nepotistic and most primitive power drunk personality like Okorocha. It is unfortunate that he had spent his money, time and lecture all in vain.
This is the reason he resolved to liberate Imo from such a rudderless ruler. Imo people are proud of him and posterity will remember him well. Prince Madumere is a man of integrity with untainted strength of character. Okorocha should also understand that Prince Madumere opted out for the deputy governorship slot so as to give other people a chance. He never presented any family member or any of his cronies but left the decision in the hand of others because he is not selfish and would not want to mortgage the future of the State over selfish desire.
Back to the issue, it was infantile for anyone to think that such occasion with the gathering of the cream of leaders including high powered members of the diplomatic corps was as mind boggling as it was brazenly embarrassing.
However, the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere understands Okorocha’s predicament, frustration and the root of his ludicrous outburst and does not feel offended but feels for Governor Okorocha’s state.
The Deputy Governor would however wish to appeal to the galaxy of leaders who were present in the Church during the embarrassing moment, especially the Vice President of Republic of Liberia, Jewel Taylor, former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, former Governor of Rivers State and the Minister of Transport, Chibuike Amaechi, the Jurists, members of the Clergy, former Governor of old Bendel State and the immediate past National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, John Oyegun, members of the National Assembly, members of Diplomatic Corps, members of the fourth estate of the realm, other notable guests and the good people of Imo State to kindly overlook embarrassment and consider it a mistake.
Meanwhile, it will go down in history that Okorocha will stand as the first Governor with over one thousand sites hanging on him for all the wrong reasons.
.Onwuchekwa is Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor on Media