By Dennis Obinni
The current political atmosphere in Ebonyi State is socked in tension
with many of the observers shouting in bewilderment as to how the
political alignments that held many as enemies and some as friends
could all of a sudden break.
Right now, there exist two political groups. One is the protagonists
of the consensus candidature of the immediate past Minister of Health,
Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu which has the evident blessing of the
incumbent governor Martin Nwancho Elechi. The other group is made up
of the antagonists of the Elechi’s endorsement. The development has
sharply turned around the alignments in the state such that even some
politicians who were not in talking terms have united to stop the
governor from going ahead with what they call political
highhandedness. It is akin to war against a common enemy.
The incumbent deputy governor of the State, Engineer David Umahi’s
growing followership is the benefactor of the circumstances. His
campaign office has turned a beehive of activities like it is the
PDP’s State secretariat. Even those Umahi might have stepped on their
toes as the State PDP chairman while labouring to midwife the 2011
governorship elections that gave Elechi the second tenure have shelved
that aside and jumped into the boat speeding against the Elechi’s
posture.
The turn of events has reverberated many bits and pieces including
the issues about the N15 billion Bond the Elechi-led government is
seeking from the Nigerian Stock Exchange with the Speaker of the State
house of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chukwuma Nwzunku, before now seen as a
stooge of Elechi boldly writing to President Goodluck Jonathan asking
him to stop Elechi from securing the Bond. The Speaker is insisting
that the governor should account for the N16billion Bond his
administration first took than asking for another N15 billion Bond at
the twilight of the administration. The Chief Press Secretary to the
Governor, Dr. Onyekachi Eni had labored to brief the press as to how
the N16 billion Bond was spent but the House of Assembly is saying
that accounts of that nature should not be given on pages of newspaper
but through the appropriate committees of the House with the deserved
details. Or is anybody hiding somthing? with erThe wave against the
governor’s bid is such that he tends to have been embattled hence he
recently declared that the situation was like a boat in a stormy sea.
He said it was militarization of the polity alleging that policemen
were imported into the state.
Keen observers of the imbroglio however query how the governor who is
the chief security officer of the state could be talking of
importation of police like he has lost control of the machinery of
government.
The questions further raged during the weekend when Elechi lost his
temperament on the occasion of a rally the state government organized
in support of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s second term bid. The
governor threw caution to wind referring to his deputy governor, Umahi
as an armed robber and sorts of unprintable foul language for the fact
that Umahi is contesting for the governorship against the wish of his
boss, Elechi. Even as no one had excused the governor for that act
some adduce that he was so infuriated by the sudden interweave such
that even his supposed political allies who were invited to the
occasion tailored to demonstrate to President Jonathan that he was in
charge of the state’s political structure failed to honour their
invitation to the rally for the reason of the allegation that he,
Elechi has thrown up impunity in his approach to the 2015 governorship
election, so set the ruling PDP into a divide, and losing a greater
chunk of the party faithful to his deputy. More so, the solidarity
rally held with the visible absence of a number of key stakeholders in
the area including the former governor of the state, Dr. Sam Ominyi
Egwu and the 2015 governorship aspirants. Only the former Minister
of Health, Professor Onyebuchi C hukwu, the governor Elechi’s choice
candidate for the governorship was at the event. Others who were
noticeably absent at the rally include, Senator Paulinus Igwe Nwagu,
all the PDP House of Assembly members loyal to Speaker Chukwuma
Nwazunku, and many of the National Assembly members.
The verbal attack of the deputy governor which has thrown up questions
as to why he could so show aggression against his deputy in the public
in a programme broadcast live in television and radio stations has put
to question the essence of the attitudinal change policy of the
government and the personality of the governor. Watchers of the
situation said it was undemocratic and most unexpected of an elderly
governor to have publicly referred to his deputy as an armed robber, a
man he had described as all conquering Dave Umahi and chose him as his
running mate in 2011. Anyway,a second Republic Senator, Ofia Nwali
had while reacting to the approach of Elechi in the 2015 elections
said that the policy of attitudinal change would not need to be
assessed by radio announcement but would be felt when it is really in
place.
Just last week, no fewer than 50 thugs suspected to be having been led
by the Youth Leader of the State branch of PDP, Comrade Chinedu Ogah,
a close political ally, bite dog of the governor attacked the
official residence of the state house of assembly Speaker Chukwuma
Nwazunku. It was gathered that the thugs forcefully invaded into the
speaker’s residence and ordered his relatives including the wife,
children and residential servants to park out from the official lodge.
Properties including money were allegedly stolen. The Police Public
relations Officer of the state police command, Asp Chris Anyanwu
confirmed the attack adding that the police have arrested some of the
thugs, Comrade Ogah and some members of the house of assembly for
allegedly leading the gangsters to ransack the speaker’s residence.
The state government has till date not said anything about that act of
violence. Yet someone is talking of militarization and cannot point at
any act of violence from the camp of the antagonist of the
endorsement/ impunity of the government against a greater number of
the Ebonyi PDP family.
As the political situation tightened against the governor, he, Elechi
last week sacked , the wife of one of the PDP’s governorship aspirant
, Mrs. Eucheria Nwali and 27 others local council officers. Sources
close to Government House Abakaliki revealed that the sack of the
council officers, being among the 64 Development Centres Coordinators
established in the 13 substantive council areas may not be unconnected
to the crisis in the State Chapter of the People’s
Democratic Party where those opposed to endorsement of the
governorship aspirant of the governor were seen as opposition
elements aganist the government. The announcement of the sack of the
Coordinators was signed by the State Commissioner for Local Government
and Chieftaincy Matters, Chief Celestine Nwali, the most recent
political anchor man of Elechi. The suspicion is that the governor may
also sack some of his commissioners especially those believed to be
supportive of Umahi.
Already, the Clerk of the house of assembly, Mrs. Rose Nwokporo,
younger sister to the wife of the governor has been relieved of his
position, obviously because she is on the part of Nwazunku.
How these things will eventually play out remains to be seen. For now
the visible thing is that many more have been angered including the
sacked Coordinators, the sacked Clerk of the house of assembly, and
prominent Ebonyi leaders of thought who feel that they should have
been consulted in the making of the successor of Elechi. Such include
Dr. Sam Egwu who handed power to Elechi, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim,
Ambassador Frank Ogbewu, Senator Ofia Nwali, Senator Igwe Nwagu,
Senator Ngiji Ngele, members of federal House of Representatives, the
aggrieved 11 members of the house of assembly etcetera etcetera .
Ends.