From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Air Commodore Luke Ochulor (rtd) is the former military administrator of Delta State, but an elder statesman from Owerri zone in Imo State.
He has remained silent since the controversial Imo Charter of Equity was broached by some politicians in the state and completely accepted by the incumbent Governor Hope Uzodimma, who has also vowed to handover to the Owerri zone in 2027.
But soon after his victory the fight for his successor seems to have began even before his new tenure starts counting.
However, some elders in the state have kicked against the charter, insisting that it only amounted to a political jamboree.
Commodore Ochulor is among those who feel that the Imo Charternot Equity should have began with Chief Ikedi Ohakim whose tenure was cut short in 2009. He also spoke briefely on the recent Kaduna bombing. Excerpt:
The Imo Charter of Equity has been raising dust since it was initiated by some people in the state, what’s your own perception about it?
My own understanding of Nigeria’s democracy, if you look at the whole country, some places are well organised while some are not, there’s nothing in the country’s constitution that guarantees that some states are wise enough to leave friction by having an understanding where to zone the position of governorship and other appointments, if a leader or a governor of a state does not treat everybody equally in a state, he has to treat them fairly, and once that is done, you don’t need to bother about charter of equity. The reason our people dabble into such is that we’re in state where the winner takes all, only your friends are allowed to visit the Government House, only your friends ae supposed to benefit from the dividends of democracy. In fact, if you treat everybody fairly, this problem won’t come. So, when you start talking of charter of equity, I’m not trying to side or sing praises of anybody who feels we should have charter of equity. If we have anybody going into office, he will promise you heaven and earth, but when it’s time for the politician to now go into the implementation of his mandate, he would find a reason that the thing could no longer hold. Another situation is this, the generation existing now when you’re having the charter of equity may not exist by 2027, most of them who signed the charter may not exist anymore. The other people will now tell you that it was their own opinion and not theirs, there should be a memorandum of understanding, the political power in 2027 and that party may reject it, so the charter of equity is a hogwash, it’s deceptive.
You’re from Owerri zone, will you be happy if the governor fulfills his promise and handover to somebody from Owerri?
When you asked me right from the beginning about the charter of equity, I told you it does not work, that politicians’ opinions differ, governance is not simple, those who were with him then may not hold the same opinion and when he leaves office the other people may have a different view. The politicians then might have become weak and tired and the new generation takes their turn and make another decision. Although we thought politicians we go by federal character principle, but how many of them have obeyed it? We have always anticipated the federal character principle, but the leaders keep throwing cautions to the wind. That’s why Nigeria keeps having problems today. If a leader does not bother which part anybody comes from and positions are given irespective of their tribes, it will reduce acrimony. I will give you an example, IBB when he was in office, he was appointing people based on the federal character, maybe those after him, if they have continued with his footsteps, maybe Nigeria would have been better today .
I know you’re from Owerri zone, your zone has been said to have been marginalised, do you support the governor handing over to your zone?
Politicians are selfish, I was one of those in 2019 who said that the next governor should cone from Owerri zone. I gave my reasons and I was not alone in that school of thought, Prof F.O Dik e,Dr Paschal Dozie was on that view. I was vehemently on that view, if His Excellency, Dr Achike Udenwa was given opportunity to serve Imo State for eight years, there was no reason not to have allowed His Excellency, Chief Ikedi Ohakim not to do his own eight years to create a level playing ground, that was my view and that of Ahaejiagamba, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu. We had the same view, we said no, whether good or bad, let him complete his eight years, but some people insisted he must fight for it, why do you want to have the charter of equity now? Why not in 2013, instead of allowing him to complete his eight years, they used propaganda and pushed him out and then we said okay he has been pushed out, in 2015, His Excellency Rochas Okorocha came out again, we siad no, allow Ohakim to complete eight years, but Okorocha completed eight years and left office, Owerri zone struggled to present a candidate that was accepted, he won the election even though he did not meet the statutory requirement, INEC granted him, but he was manoeuvred out by somebody from the same Orlu zone, politicians are gullible, that’s why I can’t be a Nigerian politician, I can’t vie for a political position until such a time truth will be told.
You must have heard about the Kaduna military bombing, what do you have to say?
I can only depend on technical investigation from those investigating it, but mistakes are made all over the world, there is always a mishap, colossal damage, but the Nigeria situation is a very peculiar one, how come since 2013 we have been fighting Boko Haram/ISWAP and other terrorists in this country and we have not been able to defeat them despite that the Nigerian army is the largest in africa and they keep increasing everyday. So, in the process of using technology, mistake can occur, what me and you are hearing is what is coming out from Kaduna, there might have been so many other parts the mistakes were made, something made by man can go wrong that the Mofi’s law.