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By Vincent Kalu
Former Imo State governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, has denied leading a revolt against the current governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, over the latter’s refusal to support Ohakim’s bid for a ministerial appointment under the new administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Ohakim was reacting to a report in the Daily Sun, which further claimed that he also held grudges against the governor for failing to support his (Ohakim’s) bid for the senate and the office of the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo.
In a seven-paragraph rebuttal, the former governor, dismissed all the allegations alluding them to the figment of the imagination of the reporter and his sponsors, “and a carefully plotted campaign of calumny against me by my detractors, and which culminated in the January 2, 2023 attempt to assassinate me, during which I lost four of my security aides.”
He said same people had sponsored a report in the social media in which he was accused of being the medium through which Governor Hope Uzodimma channeled one million dollars to truncate the governorship primaries of the Labour Party in Imo State.
His rebuttal reads in part: “I do not have any issue, whatsoever, with my governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, to say the least lead a “revolt” against him.
Senator Uzodimma is a bosom friend of mine and a trusted politically ally. Apart from that, as a statesman and former governor of our state, I am obliged to support any incumbent governor or administration who is moving in the right direction – at least in the interest of the state and its people – I am personally committed to see Governor Uzodimma, whom I have known for upwards of three decades, not only succeed but also to excel as a governor.
Revolting against Governor Uzodimma would be tantamount to revolting against myself and nobody can revolt against himself. Or am I that foolhardy to revolt against a fellow whose performance as a governor has been quite overwhelming and who is getting accolades daily from the good people of Imo State.
“The report claims that I led my group to a meeting in Anambra State, where we perfected our plans. Fortunately for me, I have not been to any part of Anambra State in the last four years for any reason, whatsoever.
“That I am not bidding for a ministerial appointment under the present administration. But even if I am, am I not intelligent enough to know that ministerial appointments are not secured through leading or participating in a revolt against a sitting governor or anybody whatsoever. Besides, ministerial positions are not bided for or are they contested for.
In any case, the report under reference claims that among the people I am said to be leading in the revolt is “a popular politician from Okigwe Zone…” who is also bidding for a ministerial appointment. So, how can I be bidding for a ministerial job and at the same time leading another fellow from my zone (Okigwe) to bid for the same thing? Am I that naïve?
“I decided to abort my senatorial bid the other time entirely on my own volition after taking certain things into account and for reasons that had nothing to do with Governor Uzodimma. It is, however, interesting to note that in the report under reference, an allusion was made to “those powerful forces” in my zone “still there to scuttle other ambitions he may have”.
The point, therefore, in that if there are or were “powerful forces” that scuttled my senatorial ambition, and I know them, I couldn’t at the same time be holding the governor responsible.
Therefore, the allusion to “powerful forces” against me is an inadvertent admission that it is the same powerful forces that are behind the fictitious report under reference.
“I am the only living former governor from that part of Imo State.
Even though I have made my feelings known to the management of the Sun newspaper he is stringing for, my major interest is to seize this opportunity to once again join in cautioning against the penchant of our people, Ndigbo, to self destruct (Nshiko mentality).”
He warned Igbo against dragging each other down, emphasising that while Igbo try to destroy themselves, other sections of the country try to support each other for the good of the generality of their people.
