Imo: The battle is finally over

Mbadiwe Emelumba

Something symbolic occurred on Tuesday, March 03, 2020. First there  was a  manifestation of  temporal divinity. It was  the 3rd day of the 3rd month.  And earlier that day the supreme court had stood down the Imo governorship case to give judgement by 3pm. That manifested 3Rs in  one day. And it was in harmony with the 3Rs that define the agenda of governor Hope Uzodinma’s administration.

Secondly, before that day, many people in Imo State and indeed the South East had been praying for rains. The intense heat was becoming unbearable. Something needed to yield for a lasting relief. Alas, as soon as the Supreme Court in Abuja, reaffirmed its earlier decision declaring Senator Hope Uzodinma as the duly elected Governor of Imo State, the temporal trinity  became embedded in the  spiritual trinity, and released Divine showers of blessings, the heavens opened up. Showers of blessings cascaded from above to give a final stamp of approval to the divine mandate of Governor Uzodinma. These events were indeed divinely significant.

That ecclesiastical anointing which manifested first on March 09, 2019 when Imo people in their thousands chose Uzodinma as their governor ought to have sobered those who have laboriously sought in vain to filch a mandate that wasn’t theirs. The least Imo people expected of them, (and still expect) is to formally acknowledge defeat, congratulate the winner and join hands to work for the progress and prosperity of the state. The baleful and acrimonious protest which trailed the January 14, 2020 Supreme Court judgment in favour of Uzodinma ought to have given way to a genuine reconciliation anchored on the supremacy of God in the affairs of man.

And this is where our brothers and sisters of the Muslim faith have something invaluable to teach us. The child-like manner with which they accept their fate in any life’s endeavour confirms them as true believers in the adage that man is nothing but pencil in the hands of the creator. Their willingness to always submit to the will of God is what has eluded many Christians who in spite of chanting the Lord’s Prayer everyday refuse to submit to God’s will but instead want to impose their will on God.

But for some strange reasons, the defeated candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the Imo governorship election, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and his rabid supporters appear to have a dangerous mind-set that they must win for there to be peace in Imo State. In a state with a population of close to five million people comprising the brightest and best brains in the world, this flawed regimentation of indispensability weakly mocks the mortality of our human existence. It also explains why many people in the first place were reluctant to support Ihedioha for the governorship.

It is unfortunate that within just a span of 50 days, Ihedioha and his hired writers have succeeded in turning a once peaceful and homogenous people against themselves in the name of politics. Within that time also came the most vicious and unrelenting assault on our judiciary and the justices who populate same. The mad quest to ascend to the office of the governor obfuscated all reasons. The war of attrition spared nobody. Nothing was also too sacred to be spared. And no weapon was spared either in a most vicious attempt to re-write history.

But if after, that season of anomie had given way to a reflective one in which the actors would have acknowledged that the future still beckons, maybe, just maybe, people would have understood. It is however grating on the nerves that the former Secretary to Imo State Government, Uche Onyeoyocha still went to the media to berate the Supreme Court justices just because they stood on the side of truth. Other hirelings, realizing that their access to government funds had been blocked irretrievably are still howling, casting aspersions on the same judiciary which gave them victory at the Tribunal and the Appeal Court.

However, it would be the height of political rascality and bitterness if at the end of the day, Ihedioha refuses to formally congratulate Governor Hope Uzodinma for his victory. It would also be tragic if Ihedioha allows his battered image as a sour loser to linger knowing fully well that he has lost the trust and respect of majority of Imo people just because of the bitter manner he managed his electoral loss. But more importantly, he would be sending a wrong signal to the voters who would henceforth be wary of his candidature after his patriotism had been put to a big question.

Whether he congratulates Uzodinma or not actually changes nothing except to perhaps acknowledge for once the bitter truth which is that he lost the election. Even those who egged him to this treasonable rebellion of seeking foreign intervention in Nigeria’s internal affairs knew that Ihedioha did not win the March 09, 2019 governorship election. Even the hired writers who claim to be academics but cannot piont to any contribution the academic community, preferring instead to massage the ego of politicians to fleece states’ resources knew in their hearts of hearts that in saner countries, both the Returning Officer and Ihedioha would have been in jail for subverting the electoral will of Imo people.

But because Ihedioha was not prevailed upon to return the money he was paid for the period he illegally occupied Imo Government House, the usurpers are free to prance around, bandying words with judicial officers and unleashing the worse form of blackmail against the highest court of the land all in the name of exercising their constitutionally given freedom of speech.

Although Ihedioha and his supporters had lived in self-denial for close to 50-days, the pronouncement of Tuesday, March 03, 2020 has put the question of Imo governorship to rest. The earlier they accept that stark reality of life and work with the present administration in the state, the better.

Predictably, Governor Uzodinma, has already extended his hands of fellowship to both Ihedioha and other opposition politicians in the state. As the father of the state, he believes that his administration should be all-inclusive. He wants the brightest and the best to avail him their expertise as he settles down to re-engineer the state with his cardinal programmes of 3RS. Because his interest is solely on the development of the state, he has no time for revenge, acrimony or other pettiness which had been the bane of politics and governance in the state for so long.

It is noteworthy that even before the final of the final Supreme Court judgment last Tuesday; Uzodinma had put the machinery of governance in top gear. The review of the judgment sought by Ihedioha was just a minor distraction as he remained focused and resolute in delivering democracy dividends to Imo people who overwhelmingly elected him their governor on March 09, 2019. Because he remain convinced that he won that election through a divine mandate, he has expectedly dedicated the victory to God and Imo people. He knows that the task before him is enormous and time is indeed short. Those who are still mourning their loss are entitled to do so. But they should know that the Imo train of progress and prosperity had since left the station. The battle is finally over.