By Edeh Ugochukwu
“A brother can be found in distant land. Nobody knows where succor will come from, nobody knows where relief will come from, in the midst of dryness, nobody knows where water will come from. When the thunder comes soaring, nobody knows who will say peace, be still. When the challenges becomes overwhelming, nobody knows who will say this too shall stop.
“For me, it came from the great land of Udenu. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is the one that said this is light, this key, let this door open. 15 years became zero year, zero day because of Udulekenyi I of Orba. They pursued me to the point I ran away to America but a brother in diaspora (Ugwuanyi) brought me back.”
Above were the words of former Governor Nnamani as he shed tears while praising Governor Ugwuanyi for coming to his rescue after he was (albeit rightly) sent to political Siberia for 15 years. Today, the same man has become a jester and in the words of William Shakespeare Ndi Enugu are saying “I know thee not old man; fall to thy prayers, how ill white hairs become a fool and jester”.
Against the wishes of most ndi Enugu that witnessed firsthand the inglorious days of nwa Nnamani as emperor of Enugu for 8 years, Ugwuanyi in search of peace went to America where he was languishing in agony, loneliness and depression and made him a senator which strained his relationship with people like Gil Nnaji, Prince of Mburumbu amongst others that expected the Ebeano feudal lord to remain in the annals of Enugu political history.
Upon his return, he declared that Ugwuanyi is now his Leader, a statement many that knows him understands can’t be held like pinch of salt. True to the expectations of many, when it was time to demonstrate that the incumbent was his leader; the 2023 general election, the man in him was made manifest again. He was the first politician in Enugu state to pick PDP’s nomination form without recourse to the Man he said is his leader. All political actors of 1999-2007 knows an action such as this is tantamount to treason and the emperor might have your political if not real head on a platter.
Today, after Senator Nnamani failed to do for himself, what Governor Ugwuanyi did for him in 2019 while he was sleeping in his American house, he (Nnamani) has resorted to mudslinging the same man that burnt so many bridges to give him political life.
In the build up to the 2023 general election, the poor performance of the PDP in Enugu State can be attributed to the re-emergence of the Agbani tiger who seeks to devour anything on his way to achieving absolute power. Today’s voters whose parents were victims of massive sack by Nnamani saw him as a plague that must be retired at all cost. Do you wonder how a Peter Mbah with all the ideas and capacity he represents was heavily criticized?
The opposition used the inglorious days of the reign of Ebeano to campaign against PDP in Enugu State. Ugochukwu Agballah, the state Chairman of APC did a world press conference to tell the world that “killers want to come back to Enugu state” and charged all the clergies and men of good conscience to reject the Ebeano hegemony. In Enugu North Senatorial zone, the campaign against Governor Ugwuanyi who did so much for the zone was that he brought back Chimaroke who they said “persecuted our people to point of death.”
In Igboeze North local government area, the shooting that took place at the home of Fidel Ayogu in the buildup to the 2003 election is still very fresh in the minds of Umuopu village as their community was turned upside down. The rejection of PDP in Isiuzo local government can be traced to the same man whom they said hated their people to a fault and treated them with great disdain. Should anyone be angry, that person should never be a man whose name diminished the political fortunes of the PDP.
Nnamani is angry because his dream of becoming the president of the 10th senate has been buried on the account of his own indiscretion but as with every emperor, others must be responsible for their waterloo. He has been accusing everyone of conspiring against him but has failed to explain why he couldn’t win a ward election when he founded People for Democratic Change, PDC. In his state of selective amnesia, he boasted on twitter that nobody can win him in an election in Enugu state but forgot his failed attempts with PDC.
In case he has forgotten, I need to remind the former Governor that the protracted nonpayment of gratuity was started by him and the aged men/women that are still hoping they will be paid and their children will vote against him over and over. The over 1,000 families he starved by disengaging their parents from civil service will never want him back. The adoration unresolved murder case is still very fresh in the minds of an average catholic in Enugu and they will always say “never again.”
As petty as it sounds, some persons have lost their jobs in Nkanu West local government where his stooge, Uche Ejim is the council chairman because of the views of their relatives in a whatsapp platform. Does it sound strange? That’s the reality on ground and a common knowledge that you can lose your employment because your 2nd or even 4th cousin is critical of Senator Nnamani. Does he not think that these people will vote for PDP and also vote against him in the same election?
As a 12-year-old child, I could remember vividly, the brazen activities of cultist that their words were law. You dare not challenge their orders. From Achalla layout to Obiagu down to Asata and new haven, the tale was the same thing. People were hounded and intimidated for expressing their opinion or criticizing the government. You can reach out to Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka of Adoration Ministry for better details.
In those dark days of Enugu state, judges were afraid to sit in the state for any tribunal matter because their safety wasn’t guaranteed. As an appointee, the only thing you’re allowed to do is hero-worship and anything to the contrary is better imagined than experienced. Thugs were outdoing each other on who will unleash higher amount of pain on the critics of their master.
Today, he expects ndi Enugu to forget these things and more and forge ahead as though he just fell from the moon? His current efforts to ignite political fire is a reminder that nwa Nnamani hates a peaceful atmosphere and will do everything to cause violence and unrest and this is what Ugwuanyi detests and has demonstrated it severally.
During his time, Enugu State House of Assembly produced more than 3 speakers. Political killings was the hallmark of Enugu politics and Onyebuchi Ugwu readily comes to mind. Your relevance in the scheme of things is directly proportional to the degree of violence you can unleash on the people.
Hence, forgetting these ugly pasts and insulting a man that gave you a second chance to breathe politically is surely not a way to say thank you.
I will end this piece by making a passionate appeal to ndi Ojiagu to as a matter of urgency, help their brother by ensuring he’s kept away from social media vis-à-vis taking his phone away from him to halt this show of shame before it degenerates to a statewide problem that will require bigger treatment.
I’m Edeh Ugochukwu from Nkanu East local government area of Enugu State.
