Umahism: Mesmerizing The Opposition With Good Governance.
For some time now All Progressive Congress, APC, which is supposed to be the main opposition party in Ebonyi state has been reciting the name of the Governor of Ebonyi state, His Excellency, Engr. David Nweze Umahi, as if it has become their new party slogan. Initially, the two factions of the All Progressive Congress in Ebonyi state accused each other of being sponsored by the Governor for whose re-election they alleged that each faction was working. While I wondered at the obsession of the opposition APC with the name of our dear Governor, the members of the APC in Ebonyi state began to generate and spread rumours that the governor wanted to abandon his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and join the All Progressive Congress. Just as the rumour spread, the Pastor Eze Nwachukwu - led faction of the All Progressive Congress in Ebonyi state zoned its 2019 governorship ticket to Umahi's home community of Uburu. Even at that, Governor David Nweze Umahi solemnly denied any plans to leave the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Travelling down the memory lane, Governor David Umahi recalled that his integrity will not permit him to abandon a party under which he has served "as Ebonyi state chapter chairman, Deputy Governor of Ebonyi state, and currently serving as the governor of Ebonyi state". Upon this solemn statement, the opposition in Ebonyi state has continued to peddle rumours which border on hallucinations about a man who is busy translating his 2015 campaign promises to Ebonyi people into practical realities; and riding on the enormous goodwill which he has continued to garner from Ebonyi people to a well-deserved second term victory come 2019.
The question that agitated one's mind was: "Why has the opposition All Progressive Congress, APC, in Ebonyi state continued to sing the name and covet Governor David Nweze Umahi?" The answer to this question lied within the precincts of mystery until a chain of events which began to unfold with an announcement by the infant publicity secretary of one of the factions of the APC in Ebonyi state on July 31st, 2018. The import of the announcement was that a southeast zonal mega rally of the APC in Ebonyi state shall hold on the "4th day of August, 2018 at the state township stadium, Abakaliki ..." The announcement which was heavily laced with threats and brags enjoyed excessive media-hypes on several media platforms even when proper approval of the authorities in charge of the stadium management was yet to be sought by those who intended to use the stadium. Of course, the management of the world-class Abakaliki Township Stadium booked it for some other events on that day. When the tough-talking faction of the APC in Ebonyi state discovered that it was not possible for them to use the stadium, they shifted both the venue of the rally to a petrol station along Abakaliki - Enugu expressway and the blame for their poor outing to His Excellency, Governor David Nweze Umahi.
A native Ezza Ezekuna aphorism holds that "it is the search for the kitchen knife that reveals the night meal". This aphorism is true even with the All Progressive Congress mega-rally drama in Ebonyi state. The APC mega-rally drama revealed a lot about the project profile of the current administration of Engr. David Nweze Umahi in Ebonyi state and the pretentious disposition of members of the proliferated Ebonyi state chapter of All Progressive Congress to the Nigerian democracy. From the labels attached to the APC Abakaliki rally of Saturday 4th August 2018, it was an APC Southeast zonal rally. APC has a governor in one of the states in the Southeast geo-political zone, and that is Governor Rochas Anayo Okorocha of Imo state; APC has a southeast zonal vice-chairman in the person of Chief Emma Eneukwu from Enugu state; APC equally has a southeast leader in the person of the former Governor of Abia state - Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu. One would expect that either Imo state which is the only southeastern state under the control of APC or the home state of the APC southeast zonal vice chairman which is Enugu where the federal government has Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium would be more ideal venue for hosting the zonal rally of the APC in the Southeast. Afraid of the poor and dilapidated infrastructure in APC - controlled Imo state, worried by the decaying Federal Government - owned Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium Enugu, APC preferred the world-class stadium in Abakaliki, the smooth concrete roads in Ebonyi state and finally, the unique Offia Nwali (Presco) overhead bridge area as venue for their zonal rally! To discerning minds, the Southeast zonal caucus of the APC's preference of Abakaliki Township stadium in the city of Abakaliki in Ebonyi state as venue of the rally to other places proves that the APC in the Southeast and particularly their Ebonyi state colleagues are pretentious critics who admire and even envy the enthralling performances of Governor David Nweze Umahi on all democratic fronts but vilify Umahi for refusing to join them.
Therefore, it is not far from the truth to say that those involved in the APC venue drama are a bunch of unpatriotic people whose allegiance lie to their party, APC, and not to their conscience and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is why I have no reply for Adams Oshiomole's demand for an apology from Governor Umahi because the demand was hinged on nothing. Oshiomole has taken actions bizarrer than that demand in the not-too-distant past: As a labour activist-turned-governor, some of Oshiomole's legacies were that he kicked down the wares of a hapless widow-hawker while commanding the widow to "go and die", and that he handed over seven months salary arrears he owed Edo workers (Oshiomole's immediate constituency) to his successor. Such a bundle of contradictions does not deserve to be glorified with a reply.
Oshiomole should do well to tell the world the incredible quantum of development-indicators he saw in Abakaliki as he was driven from Nkwegu barracks through Akanu Ibiam roundabout to Offia Nwali (Presco) junction in the beautiful city of Abakaliki. Without doubts, Governor David Nweze Umahi has continued to mesmerize the All Progressive Congress with his many people-centred projects, but people like Oshiomole and his ilk who have elevated their party to their God will never praise Umahi's uncommon achievements in governance simply because Umahi does not belong to All Progressive Congress. From the handling of the 4th August Ebonyi rally, APC has shown that it is as a bunch of pretending democrats who will neither respect any governor or public officer nor admit the truth about the performance of any public officer not belonging to their party. The good thing is that Ebonyi people, nay Nigerians, are wiser now and will vote wisely against APC in 2019.
