When Governor Hope Uzodimma was busy harassing family members of billionaire former governor of Imo State, he told everyone who inquired that he didn’t have any personal problems with the man he liked to address as his younger brother or anyone around him, but that he was merely interested in recovering what belonged to Ndi Imo and entrenching probity in governance. He also tried to convince curious Imolites and Nigerians that whatever he did was in the best interest of the State and he wouldn’t allow political affinity or personal relationships stop him from stripping anyone who misappropriated public assets of every bit of those assets.
Today, there are numerous court cases going on with regard to findings and recommendations of different panels of inquiry instituted by the short-lived administration of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha but implemented and seen through by the Hope Uzodimma administration. Part of the reasons for EFCC’s harassment of that previously beloved billionaire and “philanthropist” is allegedly petitions written by the Imo State government. It even got to a point where the 3R administration blamed no one else but Chief Okorocha for the spate of insecurity and killings that ravage Imo State. Okorocha’s son-in-law and my beloved big brother and friend, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu was even abducted and the church defiled in connection with these allegations.
Today, it is only someone who is not a keen observer of Imo politics or those who wish to deliberately lie to themselves who would not have observed some serious rapprochement between these two political families, albeit, the Rescue Mission seems to have been drastically reduced to just Rochas immediate family and his in-laws as it is obvious that most of the key stakeholders of the original Rescue Mission family is left in the cold about whatever deal they have arrived at.
Information has it that Ugwumba, the key fixer of whatever deals concern the Rochas family and the one that enjoys the most popular goodwill is a regular guest at the Imo State Government House, and that Owelle himself is in regular touch with his older brother and predecessor, as they allegedly try to navigate his February 5th court ruling as it affects his travails with the EFCC.
When Owelle was quoted as saying that he would direct his “followers” on whom to vote for across different constituencies in February, I knew he was waiting for the February 5th judgement, maybe, to know if the alleged deal is kept to or not, before making an open declaration of support.
While I would always argue wherever I go that Owelle was a comfortable multibillionaire before he became governor of Imo State and didn’t need a pin of everything he is being accused of stealing from Imo State, I also believe that it is in the interest of the people of Imo State and probity that every single pin that can be proven to have been taken from Imo State is extracted from him or anyone known to have been involved in the alleged mindless robbery of Imo people. It would be most disappointing and an unforgivable atrocity should political alliances be negotiated at the detriment of our commonwealth, it would also clear every doubt that Governor Uzodimma has endorsed public theft, corruption and mindless abuse of trust for political convenience. If this is the case, we cannot trust the Omuma magician not to steal more than he accused his “younger brother” of stealing.
Several implementation committees were inaugurated to ensure “a speedy implementation of the recommendation of the gazetted recommendations of the panels of inquiry” and some moves were begun in that aspect, only for these moves to suddenly stall as soon as we began to see a Dan Nwafor letter withdrawing a case he instituted in court over the leadership of the APC in the State and pictures of Ugwumba Uche Nwosu’s regular visits to Douglas House started emerging around some secured channels.
No one would be against two “brothers” reconciling, but we will continue to query the morality and logic of such reconciliations being negotiated at the detriment of Imo people’s collective patrimony.
I shall in a subsequent intervention on this review the prize of loyalty vis a vis, some individuals like us who stuck out our necks to defend the Rochas family and their alleged loots and became eternal enemies to the 3R confraternity because of this. I will not be quick in telling you the political gains or losses of this new found love between these two political families.
MAY IMO PREVAIL!
