NOVEMBER 11: The Mistake Imo Must Not Make

Speaking Truth to Sen. Hope Uzodima
Credit: Imo State House

One of the key strategies of despots and incompetent leaders all over the world is to present the people with a situation where they feel that they do not have a better option than the present. Most times, these despots do not make much efforts to present themselves as saintly or ideal leaders but they also let you think that you can’t get someone better than them, leaving you with no option but to either lose interest in the politics of your State or to accede to the dominance of tyrants.

Uzodimma and the APC are promoting a political messaging that supports the notion that there are no credible alternatives to the incumbent from the candidates of the two major opposition Parties. The APC media seem to have accepted the notorious tag on the governor as not having a very wonderful background before joining politics, hence, the desperation to tar every other candidate in the same colour. Imolites should be wiser.

I believe that Imolites understand the real issue we have with Uzodimma and his immoral ambition to impose himself on us for a second term. The illegitimacy of Uzodimma’s ascension to power is a point that must not be lost on us. While it is not in doubt that the PDP and LP disappointed many of us by their choices of flag-bearers, we should not equate any of those candidates with Uzodimma, in the area of legitimacy.

Max Webber described legitimacy of power or authority as the acceptance of the population of the power of an individual or a group over them. That is simply; “a recognised right to rule”. When the population rejects your authority over them or believes that your power or authority is ill-gotten, then you lack legitimacy.

Hope Uzodimma’s regime lacks legitimacy. From the illegalities and brazen criminality that defined his emergence as the APC governorship candidate to the controversial judgement by the Supreme Court that wrongfully declared him as the governor of Imo State, the facts are not lost on Imolites that the man running the State never got their consent to become their governor. Imo State has since become a butt of jokes whenever issues relating to democratic governance is talked about, even by the very demeaning Nigerian standards.

Imolites should not consider Hope Uzodimma a candidate for the upcoming governorship election, placing him on the same pedestal with the other candidates would be granting his candidature a credibility it doesn’t have. No matter what reservations we might have with the other two candidates, we cannot deny the fact that they have the required legitimacy to stand before Imolites to seek their votes, but Chief Uzodimma doesn’t. Uzodimma’s leadership of the APC in Imo State is a product of the most bizarre political corruption in the history of our democracy, and every Imolite who is of voting age couldn’t be ignorant of that story.

Beyond being an illegitimate governor, Chief Uzodimma has overseen the most brutal oppression against Imolites, including supervising an unprecedented killing spree, arbitrary arrests and detention of innocent Imolites and harassment of innocent Imolites. Over the past three years Uzodimma has significantly stiffened political freedom in the State and has mindlessly deprived us of the right to freely elect our representatives across various constituencies in the State.

Imolites must not make the mistake of equating Uzodimma with any other candidate in the race for the governorship. In fact, we shouldn’t consider him a candidate, but an impostor trying to perpetuate the illegality of his ascension to power. We owe it as a duty to ourselves and our children to send Uzodimma back to his masters in Abuja. We must not make the mistake of conferring any form of legitimacy to him by considering him as an option in the upcoming election. November 11th is not just another election day but a day to reclaim our State and assert our rights as freeborns and not some slaves who would accept the imposition of strangers as their rulers without raising a finger.

 

MAY IMO WIN!

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