SECURING IMO STATE AND THE SOUTH-EAST

Semiu Tobiloba writes that the Imo State governor is not in charge

In Hope Uzodinma as Imo State Governor, the plan by the ruling All Progressives Congress was that through him, the party would establish a foot-hold in the South East. That plan has not just failed entirely, but also complicated the state of insecurity in the whole state.

With the result of the just concluded governorship election in Anambra State, it is evident that Uzodinma cannot help the ruling APC in the South-east, neither can the governor dodge the appeal pending before the Supreme Court or the future governorship election. For the ruling party, it is a case of ‘had we known.’

Since he was more or less imposed on the people as governor, the hitherto peaceful, beautiful and tourist- attractive Imo State has become a shadow of itself. The state has been embroiled in avoidable blood-letting. Eminent people from the state are now afraid to go back to their homes because of insecurity.

There is a direct connection between insecurity in Imo State, which has since extended to other southeastern states and the emergence of Uzodinma as governor of the state. When Emeka Ihedioha was at the helms of affairs in the state, there was peace. What changed?

Last week, a member of the APC in Imo State, and a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon Austine Nwachukwu, took a courageous decision. He resigned his membership of the APC. In his resignation letter, he said: “It is no longer a secret that the current political reality in Imo State and by extension Nigeria cannot guarantee the future of our teeming youths. I do not want to be counted as one of those who supported the regime that emasculated and destroyed the future of our youths.”

That verdict, coming from an insider, should convince those who are still sitting on the fence. First, it is a case of the legal rule -Nemo dat quod non habet, literally meaning “no one can give what they do not have”. As events in Imo State have shown since Uzodinma was foisted on the state as governor, he obviously lacked the capacity to govern.

At the beginning of the crisis, rather than sought wise counsel from elders and opinion moulders in the state, he invited the army into the state. The result of that singular decision is the escalation in violence in the state.

Secondly, even though there is a governor in Imo, there is no governance. When governments work, the people see the result. Since Uzodinma was declared governor of Imo State, there is basically nothing to show for it. President Muhammadu Buhari during his visit to the state commissioned the Naze/Nekede/Ihiagwa/Obinze link road, a road that was poorly built and uncompleted. The governor claimed to have done some works but residents have always faulted him.

Yes, everyone is concerned about the insecurity in the South East. To a larger extent many know what the solution is. But not many are willing to take the bold decision that is required. There is a window of opportunity to correct the anomaly that led to Uzodinma becoming the governor of a state he didn’t win. That window is in the hand of the Supreme Court. In a judgment that defiled logic and commonsense, the Supreme Court declared Uzodinma the governor of Imo State.

If the right thing is done, Imo will have peace, Southeast will become peaceful and by extension Nigeria will be peaceful. But it behoves on the federal government, the APC and the court to stop the disaster going on in Imo State.

What is happening in Imo State today is a clear case of injustice, which the people of the state find difficult to accept. If there is no miscarriage of justice, Imo will not have been plunged into intractable crises that have cost lives; shattered hopes; destroyed assets and cast gloom on the future of the state and indeed the South-east.

To borrow from a popular adage, justice is always the forerunner of peace. For peace to return to Imo and by extension South-east, it behoves on the federal government and the ruling APC to as a matter of national priority work for equity, fairness and justice, a socio-political tripod on which peace stands and thrives without let or hindrance.

Tobiloba, a legal practitioner, wrote from Abeokuta