Ifeanyi Amanze: An attention seeker

It was Orrin Woodward who said that a person either hates losing enough to change or he hates changing enough to lose. That statement typifies the character of one Ifeanyi Amanze whom we would say is an attention seeker.

From the day one that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State announced Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu the winner of its gubernatorial flag, Amanze started his campaign of calumny and brigandage, simply because his choice candidate –Alex Otti – lost in that election.

Amanze’s hack writing continues even as Ikpeazu was declared winner of the governorship election that took place recently in Abia State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Amanze’s recent article, titled, “What happens in Abia shouldn’t stay in Abia” has said about his harboured animosity in full.

Instead of allow a court of competent jurisdiction to do its work – if need be – Amanze has fumed in that article of how he was going to send Ikpeazu packing within few months. One is not sure how he would achieve that, but it would be better that he is cautioned that the likes of Osisikankwu who took to breaking of laws are today dealt with by the law. A word, they say, is enough for the wise!

Amanze is today biting his fingers because Otti lost in that election. There was no how that Otti could have won because the process that provided him to contest the election under the APGA was flawed. Besides, it is no longer a rumour that Otti is not a member of that party. Otti is not an electable material. How can somebody that called Abians "rats and criminals" expect to govern the same people? Sincerely speaking, Otti and his co travelers are the real 'rats and criminals."

Before Amanze hangs himself, it would be better that he is reminded that all Abia people were solidly behind Ikpeazu. And a man whom his people are behind his success, how then will Amanze be clamouring that Nigerians should have revolted when Ikpeazu was declared winner of the governorship election in Abia State. Revolt for what!

Amanze’s bicker lacks water. He continues to throw his tantrums here and there. Another personality he has singled out to blackmail is Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State. No matter what Amanze was writing about, the true story was that the governor was aloof during the process of the PDP electing who would represent them as a candidate to when the governorship election was conducted properly.

It was obvious that before the rerun election in some LGAs, there was an account thus: “In that result, the number of registered voters is 1,217,632. No. of accredited voters is 470,900, total valid votes is 430,561, rejected votes is 8,893 and total votes cast is 439,454. PDP has 248,459, while APGA has 165,406, and I have a margin of 83,053 ahead of Otti. What on earth is preventing INEC from seeing that I have made 25% of the votes cast in the 2/3 of the local government areas in the state, and scored majority number of votes cast?” Those were the words of Ikpeazu after INEC declared the governorship election inconclusive.

So, what did Amanze mean when he wrote, “I have also been left disappointed by the reaction and body language from the rest of the country as the sad events from Abia have unfolded. First, we screamed about the antics of Governor T.A. Orji before the election and all we got was some scant attention…”

The governor never influenced anything in the state within the election process except that he did everything humanly possible to maintain peace and order before, during and after the elections. The governor was not an INEC official, so one is not sure where Amanze got his news from that the governor inflated the figures of the election. This is sheer blackmail!

To be frank, as Amanze has gingered Alex Otti to head to election petition tribunal, if not for Amanze’s stomach infrastructure, one would have advised that he ask his principal not to go, because he will fail woefully again at the tribunal. Amanze is just looking for unmerited attention just as the loser called Otti is.

.Hart writes from Lagos