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Chuka Nwosu
CASMIR Igbokwe’s brilliant essay in his April 29 column in The Sun, on “Big Issues in UK and Nigeria’s Elections,” struck raw nerves.
The piece led me down memory lane to do this riposte on people, politicians or groups whom I might have offended, through my consultancy work as Director, Public Affairs (DPA) to Dr. Andy Uba, during the gubernatorial campaigns and election in Anambra State in April 2007.
Dr Andy Uba ran a wonderful, full-reach-out campaign for that election. He mobilised his campaigners and PDP supporters in many ways, including distributing thousands of motorcycles to at least five men, and grinding machines to at least three women, in all the electoral wards in the 21 local government areas in Anambra State. He won the election, clean and clear, with over 398,000 odd votes, against the ACN candidate, Dr. Chris Ngige, who ended up as an underdog, despite being immediate past governor of the state prior to the election.
Mr. Peter Obi was the sitting governor, but few people suspected that he had a joker and “quiver full of arrows”, which got him back his job, through the Courts, barely 10 days after Dr. Andy Uba was sworn in as Governor of Anambra State.
I recall that one of those persons I might have offended through my professional work included Prof. Okey Ndibe, a talented writer and novelist, who then lived and worked in America as a lecturer in some university.
Mr. Okey Ndibe wrote a somewhat acidic weekly column in The Sun newspaper, titled “Offside Musings”, through which he excoriated then President Obasanjo, the ruling PDP and the Federal Government. He almost fully concentrated on his old quarry, Dr. Andy Uba.
In four out of five weekly columns, Ndibe got too mean and personal, and seriously questioned Dr. Andy Uba’s moral and educational qualification to run for governorship of Anambra State.
Among other allegations, Ndibe also highlighted the story that Dr. Uba smuggled cash of $170,000 to America, through Nigeria’s presidential jet.
It was at this point that a Think Tank of Old Aguata Union (OAU) went on a head-hunt for a professional PR person to match this American-based professor, and stop him from destroying the PDP governorship candidate from Aguata LGA. I then engaged Okey Ndibe squarely, through personal e-mails, return of attacks, and rebuttals to his column, through paid advertorials, since I had a budget so to do. This was the only option open to the Andy Uba Campaign Organisation, headed by gentleman Chief Vincent Ofolebe as chairman, and Okey Ezenwa as director-general.
On one occasion, I lost it when Ndibe wrote in his column that he would openly apologise to Dr. Andy Uba if he, Dr. Uba, presented to him evidence of his educational qualifications. As this issue had been dispensed with by an Abuja High Court, I politely told Okey Ndibe to strive harder to be a high court judge so that we could submit to his jurisdiction. Else, he should kiss my somewhere!
However, in the spirit of camaraderie and Igbo brotherhood, when Nigerian security officials arrested Okey Ndibe at MMI Airport Lagos, while coming into the country, I told Prof. Ndibe that I reached out to a top Nigerian security official in Abuja, and advised them to release Mr. Ndibe and his travel documents, because he, Mr. Ndibe, was well connected with the American press and the State Department. Therefore, Nigeria could not afford to mess with the guy, and hurt Nigeria’s human rights image record in the civilised world. This might have seriously contributed to Mr. Ndibe’s release.
The kernel of this story is the futility of people or politicians engaging the services of lawyers and mainly media professionals to destroy or pull down their hated opponents. I recall a Chinese proverb which said:
“Hatred is akin to self-destruct.
Burns your heart. Eats the pancreas.
Since you can destroy
Only what you can destroy…”
Another take-away from this essay is to remind media and other professionals who work for politicians to take political promises with a pinch of salt, and settle for issues and assignments at hand. This is because situations and promises might change out of your interest, when circumstances of victory or loss change.
Was is not George Orwell, in his book, titled “1984”, who opined that politicians do relish in gobbledygook? Double speak.
– Dr. Chuka Nwosu is CEO of Black & Proud Advertising Limited, Enugu/Port Harcourt
