When Nemesis Went to Vote
In 1837, Alfred Rethel, the Aachen artist released a portrait of nemesis, the Greek goddess of retribution and vengeance or the goddess of righteous wrath, which was charged for the natural dispensation of the distribution of what is due to deservers. He paintedNemesis pursuing a murderer across a flat stretch of landscape, while a slaughtered body lies on the ground, and in front is the assassin speeding away into the darkness, and above an angel of vengeance. The word nemesisoriginally meant the distributor of fortune, neither good nor bad, simply in due proportion to each according to what was deserved. Later, nemesiscame to suggest the resentment caused by any disturbance of this right proportion, the sense of justice that could not allow it to pass unpunished.
Over centuries, many perspectives have passed that have similar connotations as nemesis. Sir Isaac Newton said that whatever goes up must come down. Christ said that the Lord pays everybody according to what his conduct deserves. The Golden rule or ethic of reciprocity urges all to “treat others as one would like others to treat oneself”, etc, and every religion and ideology has same contents.
This natural law is eternal and has ever remained so. It is one of the apertures of the Creator’s mode of dispensing justice and fair play in modes of reward and punishment, and none escapes from it. It is seen and lived in every sphere of life, especially in interhuman relationship. It is also in this domain of rapport between man and man that it manifests mostly in the affairs of societal management and politics. This however has never been found wanting in Imo State politics, as it has never been found wanting in the Eternal Eyes’ ever watch on humans in their daily strives and living.
Nemesis as retributive justice or the act of the righteous wrath has been in play in Nigerian politics, especially in these 2015 general elections in Imo State. My readers would recall my credence to the truth that history is cyclic, and in this cyclic history, nemesis is always invoked. What is happening with the gubernatorial elections in Imo State is nothing but the act of the goddess of righteous wrath, trying to assert retribution or vengeance to those that violated the natural law, thinking or considering themselves as play-gods; without knowing or playing levity to the obvious fact that no evil deed goes unpunished. Most of the gubernatorial candidates that failed were those that looted public funds and privated it or that amassed wealth in God-forbidden manners, and nemesis has used this opportunity to make them vomit all and begin from the scratch. Alas! All the travellers are back, all covered with debts!
One would ask what do I really mean or aim at? I simply mean that the inclusive election in Imo State has supernatural hands that propel the communal destiny of Imo State to a preordained standpoint (that will favour either Ihedioha or Okorocha), and no amount of influence or human manipulation would thwart it, instead, man’s freewillist thwarting act will end up being his cooperative palms in the realisation of the dictates of the strong arms of destiny and the long claws of faith. Thus, quod scripti scripti, quid sera sera!These notwithstanding, God does not fail to give his people what they yearn for. This He did to the Israelites shortly before Samuel’s days and Saul son of Kish became King over them like other nations but never King after God’s own heart.
We all would recall that in 2011, it was Owerri Zone that sold out and Chief Ikedi Ohakim of Okigwe Zone was ousted out of the Douglas House. Same story in cyclic manner came up again, when at the dying minutes of the Owerri Zone “all-agreed” tenure, Okigwe men (Strongest PDP chieftains) sold out. But, could this be called human vengeance and vendetta or the acts of nemesis? It would be recalled again that in 2011, the incumbent Governor Ohakim was ousted out of the Douglas House through supplementary elections, and after the first elections were declared inclusive. Same story in cyclic manner came up again with Owelle Rochas Okorocha that won Governor Ohakim then, and just as Ohakim was crying “nwii” then and fool play, so is Okorocha crying “chii” now and crying fool play. Are all these the selfish manipulative acts of the Imo PDP and Rt Hon Ihedioha who is desperate to rule Imo at all costs as Rochas was in 2011, or are they the acts of the Cox that directs the unseen crew in human destiny?
It would be recalled too that same Araraume (ACN) that collided with APGA at the dying minutes of 2011 in order to shame Ohakim, has done same again this 2015 to shame Ihedioha and the Imo PDP that make him always a piccolo adulto in Imo PDP. Shakespeare said, “twice beaten, twice shy.” It is obvious that the Imo PDP sees Senator Araraume as an Osu lady, good to befriend and fuck (without committing any taboo), but not good to marry as tradition forbids any marital union and exercise of uxorial right between the free man and the bondswoman of ancestral heritage. Is this human working because of their desperation or the strong hands of destiny pulling, and thus nemesis?
It would be recalled still that same manner discussants flooded the IBC Orient FM to discuss matters arising in April 2011; with the aim of projecting and selling the already “God-rejected-for-his people’s-decision Ohakim, same are happening today for Rochas. These notwithstanding, quod scripti scripti. What perturbs me most is now that Owerri Zone has killed their own, what next? What borders the future again must have to do with the Okigwe Zone being the most current play-god and vendetta job-breaker in Imo politics, has the Zone finally decided to be a perpetual looser and job-breaker to the fittest that survives, noting well the minute nature of its voting numeric strength and the possibility of an Okigwe man winning election in Imo? Will Owerri Zone then be justified to rise and play nemesis?
It would be recalled also that when it was “Okigwe Zone’s turn” in 2011 to finish their leadership rotation turn, it was Owerri Zone that massively sold out, especially the Owerri Nchi Ise, and later, their son, Chief Jude Agbaso, received the whip of the goddess of nemesis. Now, it is Owerri Zone’s “turn” and not only have the Owerri themselves killed their own as a race, but the Imo PDP killed their own both in Owerri and in the other two zones. Owerri thus is now receiving back its deeds of four years past as a ring-back tune, which only the caller hears. Is this not nemesis and will it not boomerang as nemesis in the future?
I went incognito to different newspaper stands in Owerri on Monday 13th April in order to hear the masses’ opinion on the announced votes. It is obvious that Owerri Capital territory is a metropolitan city and that most of its inhabitants are from outside and most went to their indigenous homes to vote during the elections, leaving the core Owerri to stay back and vote. As I went to the two popular newspaper stands at Wethdral road, the stand at Okigwe park road by Douglas, the one at St Paul’s Parish Douglas road, the two at Control Post by World bank road and Port Harcourt road, as well as the one at Port Harcourt road by Concorde Hotel junction, etc., the opinions of core indigenous Owerri (perhaps, the naïve ones) gathered to debate and argue with muscles, were xenophobic. Yet, it is only at home that we are champions- An almjiri in the northern part of Nigeria, knows and plays Nigerian politics better than any Igbo Professor.
In all, I heard the boast and swearing, “instead of an Mbaise man to rule us or enter Douglas House, it is better that Orlu zone rules us till Christ comes. Is it not the Mbaise that killed Douglas? etc.” I was abashed. I asked myself, is this what is happening to Rt Hon Ihedioha? Is this the reason for the sudden massive dying-minute defections of core PDP chieftains from Owerri to the Owelle camp that we all have not rejected as a person but in equity and fair-play clamoured for a rotation of Imo governorship seat to Owerri Zone since 2013, at All Seasons Hotel with Chief Batos Nwadike, Chief Fidel Onyeneke, Nze Elvis Agukwe, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Senator Chris Anyanwu, etc. I quickly asked myself again like Brutus “Owerri zone, have all your efforts shrunk to this little measure?” When a madman cuts a fruited pumpkin, he does not know what he did until the sun beams hot. Yet, in all, what bordered me most were whether all that are happening are mere outcomes of human factors in historicity or are they the acts of the goddess of righteous wrath working and defaulting individual actors?
If actually “the Mbaise” killed Douglas, this frustration on Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha, is it the goddess of nemesis working while using the self-priding humans as mere agents, or is it nemesis really working to pay back that which presumably happened or did not, and reached to us either as a true redaction of historical happenings or frame-ups that have turned to believable myths for the contemporary naïve Owerri man? If it is true and that nemesis being at work is wont that the Mbaise will not enter Douglas House, fine and let Ihedioha go. If it is true but God in his omnipotence does not pay children back with the deeds of their fathers, then, let his wish be done. If God does not think as the xenophobic but what is happening is accidental, then let the fittest survive. Yet in all, nemesis has come to vote this April 2015, and it is a big lesson to all, even to those that play-aiding hands to nemesis now, should be prepared sooner or later to receive their own payback, in same manner and magnitude.
Of a truth, nemesis has come to stay in Imo politics. If Ihedioha later wins Rochas, the acts of nemesis make Imo a perpetual one-tenure Leadership State, and a certified truth that incumbency is no obstacle for debutant gubernatorial aspirants and candidates. If Rochas wins Ihedioha at last, then he is stronger that the Imo PDP both yesterday and today, including the shameless defectors and latter day saints that now hail Rochas. In any of the two, one truth remains constant, that Imo State gubernatorial race is now synonymous with supplementary and inconclusive elections (2007, 2011 and 2015, and 2019 surely and so on), and thus, in 2019 candidates must be very assured that there must be inconclusive election as our common heritage in Imo. I am not surprised that there is supplementary election is my Oguta LGA, that one is our second nature, just as supplementary election that of Imo. Nemesis has come to vote!
Prince Stanley U Okoroji (08064378213)