Imo Guber 2019: Quality Never goes out of style Vol. 1
- A diplomatic approach to demystifying the byzantine nature of Imo Guber 2019
"Of strange, discordant, and even hostile elements, we gathered from the four winds, and formed and fought to battle through."
These were Abraham Lincoln’s words as he organized the forces arrayed against slavery.
If we want to be heard, We must speak in a language that the listener can understand and on a level at which the listener is capable of operating. So today I am going to speak in the simplest language ever so that the people of Imo State can hear me and make the right choice.
Beyond the realm of political affiliations any genuine and unbiased observer of political events in Imo State will know for sure that Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha is a big mistake to the throne of leadership which he currently occupies in the Eastern heartland. Just when imolites thought they had gotten a messiah to end what they previously believed to be hell and a bundle of sorrow, they ended up with a selfish treasurer who believes in self-wealth and family politics, thereby landing them in the situation of transiting from frying pan to fire. At least one beautiful thing about politics and leadership which I admire so much is that their is a time for everything - A time to be in power and a time to leave power. And today, My greatest joy is that the very long awaited time for a true change has come and I believe that Imolites have braced up well enough to do their best to ensure that the next person who takes over that throne will be the key to unlocking their long-awaited dream of a truly unified and well-developed state and a person who will serve as the break to a new dawn for them at the end.
Prior to civilization, the proverb that says; “show me your friend and I’ll tell you who you are” has been thriving in most relationships but in the case of Owelle Rochas and Madumere the reverse has been the case. Our people often say that "the sweetest smiles hide the darkest secrets" and I totally agree with them because I have seen the darkness in Rochas's smile and the light in Madumere's frown. So I can clearly say for sure that though they are said to be birds of the same feather, they clearly do not flock together.
The 25years of friendship that have existed between the duo (Madumere and Rochas) did not in any way succeed in influencing Madumere to thread the wrong part like his boss, Governor Rochas Okorocha. And this can be proven by the current dilemma which Rochas has found himself in the course of been forced by already outlined political laws of the land to produce a successor in 2019. Been a clever con-man who knows how to manipulate and cover up his evil intentions, he has busied himself trying to confuse the whole nation about his intentions to produce his son in-law, Uche Nwosu as his successor. But unluckily for him, his body language and unguided statements regarding the issue of succession has given away his clear intentions of handing over to his in-law-cum-chief of staff in order to give him the chance to still control the state activities as a godfather while ensuring that his puppet (in-law) covers up his evil deeds when he leaves office. Little wonder why he is the only governor who has busied himself releasing criteria for a successor as if it were supposed to be a competition among his family members or general public. He couldn’t even stand up for himself as a true leader who should have used his inner eye to assess his successor a longtime ago in readiness for this moment. Is he telling the world that he spent 6years plus just leading without thinking of the end of power? This is absolutely incredible! Because any leader who can not produce a better successor than himself is not worthy to be called a leader and if Okorocha was really a good leader he would have known that there was a need to prepare for the rainy days. And since Okorocha cannot stand to see his Servant become a master then he isn’t worthy to have been a master in the first instance because even Aristotle despite being a great philosopher, would stoop to wash the feet of his apprentices as far back as 347BC and still address them as “Wise men” in aspiration that they would be greater than him tomorrow.
With one mouth and a million tongues, Owelle Rochas Okorocha stated while addressing stakeholders and leaders of the party from the 27 council areas of the state, who paid him a New Year visit at his country home in Ogboko, on the 12th of January, 2018; that whoever is taking over from him in 2019, will be member of the rescue mission political family and not an outsider. And that this person must already know the driving philosophy of the rescue mission agenda and must be willing to sustain the legacies of this government (even though I wonder what legacies he was referring to).
Also speaking at the same gathering he said:
“As a politician, I can authoritatively tell you that any politician that gets into any political office based on zoning will be a clannish leader, because he or she will channel all his energy in doing things that would satisfy his people. But when a politician is elected on popular demand, devoid of zoning, he or she will see the entire state as his own and treat every zone equally in the scheme of things,”.
Maybe I didn’t hear him correctly because if I did hear him then I think he was probably talking from the left corner of his mouth or even the last tongue in his mouth because this statement is an already clear indication of his true intentions of handing over to his in-law. And for a man to go as far as denying his creator (the Zoning system that produced him) and even to the extent of challenging him to a fight then it’s clear that the man must have gone berserk. He couldn’t even hide his sentiments for his son in-law when ChannelsTV interviewed him based on the same issue. Moreso, how can a bad leader be looking for good qualities in a successor when he lead with a bad example? Or didn’t our law of leadership tell us that “a good leader must lead by example”?
On the same issue of who will succeed him in 2019, I remember that Okorocha had these to say on the 17th day of October 2017: “I have looked at those with me and I have seen what they can do. I look at their qualities. But I am likely to narrow it down to one person. “The qualities are, One, I want that person to have vision. You must see what I am doing now and think far how to take this state to next level better than what I have done. “Another one is the temperament of the person, he must be somebody that will be able to control his anger, so that he will not cause damages in the state. And that person must not be one sided. He must not be greedy. Finally, he must have fear of God. “Just like Ifeanyi Araraume has met me and told me, he wants to contest for governor. The most important thing, we are looking at are the qualities.”
So if truly he was looking at the aforementioned qualities then I am certain that asides the zoning system that currently favors Madumere, he also clearly meets all Rochas’s criteria more than any other rescue mission family member. And since Quality never runs out of style, I am certain that Madumere will be Imo’s best option cum 2019.
To be continued! Stay tuned for Vol. 2!!
Rosemary Chima O. is a Public Analyst