Sure, Ihedioha needs God to defeat these powers that took over Imo on January 15, 2020. The people must be free but it can only come divinely.
By Asiegbu Ogbonna Asiegbu
The people of Imo State are yet to come to terms with the reality of the rude shock, pain and astonishment that struck them with the news of the withdrawal of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha from the governorship race scheduled for November 11, 2023.
The shock of Imolites is fueled by the fact that Ihedioha had been screened and cleared by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after purchasing the nomination form. So his withdrawal from the race which came just days after his screening injured Ndi-Imo grossly and most brutally.
Despite Ihedioha’s candid and convincing explanation with reasons supporting his withdrawal, the people are still asking; what went wrong? The pain and surprise of the people are understood. Their last hope of peace, good governance and prosperity has been dashed with and by Ihedioha’s decision to quit the race.
The summary of Ihedioha’s decision to withdraw from the race is laid in the adage of late Prof. Chinua Achebe who once said, “A cockroach cannot be innocent in the gathering of fowls.” And yet another adage drives home the message proper, “Until the rotten tooth is pulled out, the mouth must chew with caution.”
Yes, when there is a deliberate gang-up against someone and it is clear that the plot is to bring him down or stop his movement at all costs, all he needs do, is apply wisdom of pausing and taking the back seat perhaps temporarily to critically examine and observe where the trouble lies and the best solution to apply.
There’s a clear conspiracy agenda to take out Ihedioha from the whole political environment of Imo especially as it affects the governorship election.
The former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, endeared himself in the hearts of Imolites with his superlative performance within just seven months in office as governor.
His party, the PDP has been infiltrated by the lieutenants of the governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, who is ruthless and desperate to govern the state for eight years against the will, wish and desires of Ndi-Imo.
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This desperation led to the sponsorship of anarchists dressed in the robe of loyal party men within the PDP. These “party men” are the agents of disaster used to destroy the dreams of a better Imo by Imolites. They’re the hatchet men.
Don’t forget that the recent invitation of Ihedioha and his former deputy, Engr. Gerald Irona, by the Commissioner of Police in Imo State over concocted murder, arson and kidnapping allegation is part of the desperation by Uzodinma to stop Ihedioha by hook or crook. The fact that Irona has been in police custody for over a month further exposes this agenda.
This game is equally playing out in the Labour Party (LP) in the state where there are about 11 aspirants jostling for the governorship ticket. Most of these aspirants who are better labeled “mercenaries” are sponsored by Uzodinma’s machinery of confusion to unsettle the growing popularity of the party flying on the wings of “Obidients Movement.”
No one should be surprised if or when some of these mercenaries head for court after the primaries to challenge the victory of the party’s flagbearer to prove that the party has a faction or factions.
Indeed, Uzodinma is successfully hatching his plot as he is cruising on this hitch-free flight to ruin Imo. The fact that 27 Local Government Areas in the state produced 27 lawmakers from same All Progressives Congress (APC) without any challenge speaks volume of Uzodinma’s journey to and of uncertainty with Imolites and their state.
Now that Ihedioha who remains Uzodinma’s pain in the neck is out of the way, or do we say out of the race, Imolites are simply left at the mercy of God.
Who will blame Ihedioha for withdrawing from the race when obviously all stakeholders and major players or actors in the politics of Imo have either compromised or caged. From former governors Achike Udenwa to Ikedi Ohakim to Rochas Okorocha down to elders of the state, all seem silenced and accepted their fate that Imo has been pocketed by Uzodinma who equally has pocketed INEC, all security agents and apparatus in the state.
Ihedioha before his withdrawal has been a lone voice in the wilderness. Since 2015 he has been “crying the cry” of Imolites and laboured to set the people free from this bondage.
Today, Imolites are living like prisoners in their state. Fear reigns in the land. The state is a war zone. Militia groups, guerilla groups and sponsored killer squads under different umbrella names are operating freely, toying with and using the lives of the people as puns on the chessboard of their paymasters.
Ndi-Imo are helplessly at the crossroads. They ask, where will help come from now that Ihedioha has stepped aside? The people are pained, troubled and worried. The future looks bleak for them even as poverty rules the land. Economic activities almost crumbled through bad governance and aided by the weekly sit-at-home order of IPOB.
Imolites are suffocating as the devious grip of Uzodinma is getting tighter and breaking the veins and arteries in their necks and throats. The people are choking and coughing out blood stained mucus.
The pain is increasingly unbearable. The people ask, will Imo ever be free? Who will be our Messiah? Who will God send to deliver us from this Pharaoh called Hope Uzodinma?
This writer however thinks that there could be a ray of light at the end of the tunnel. Ihedioha’s withdrawal could be likened to the raging ram which took some steps backwards to gather force, pace, power, hope and confidence to unleash the last straw capable of breaking the camel’s back in this battle.
Who knows, Ihedioha may just have “stepped aside” to allow evil cancel itself out given the continuous curses rained on Uzodinma by Imolites particularly women who had lost their sons whose lives were cut short by Uzodinma’s mercenaries. These curses will surely have effects given the bitterness and pains in the hearts of these Imo mothers. There’s no village without a grave of a youth buried therein since January 15, 2020.
Ihedioha may have been told divinely to hold his peace and allow God to fight this battle for him and Imolites. Obviously, he is wrestling not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers … against rulers of darkness and wickedness in high places.
Sure, Ihedioha needs God to defeat these powers that took over Imo on January 15, 2020. The people must be free but it can only come divinely. The people on the other hand shouldn’t lose hope but keep praying and they should trust God that Ihedioha will return stronger and better.
- Asiegbu wrote in from Texas, USA
