Date Published: 08/03/09
IMO PDP: WHEN RULE OF LAW PREVAILED
By Maximus Uba
When the rumours started flying around media houses in Lagos and political circles in Owerri and Abuja about the plans of Mr. Ikedi Ohakim to ditch the Peoples Progressive Alliance on whose platform he came to power as Governor of Imo State and decamp to the Peoples Democratic Party, Political observers had dismissed the rumour as an insinuation of a lazy mind. But in the month of July, the rumour became so strong that it could no longer be discountenanced or dismissed especially remembering there was an unholy agreement in 2007 between Ikedi Ohakim and some demi gods in PDP led by Olusegun Obasanjo and Ahmadu Ali aided by the likes of Ozichukwu and the erstwhile Imo Governor that should he (Ikedi) be stamped into power, he would cross over to the PDP, a document Ikedi Ohakim not only signed but used his first sons life to swear. The stage therefore set on July 26 2009 to actualize the agreement; interestingly those who thought it was going to be a small event got disappointed as the occasion pulled the high and mighty. Counted among those who graced the event include the President and Vice- President, the entire PDP apparatick, Ministers, Governors and members of National Assembly, infact who is who in the body politic of Nigeria.
In a sense, nobody is quarrelling with the decision by Ikedi Ohakim to defect to PDP yes nobody is even quarreling with the crowd that stormed Imo State for the event, but the crux of the matter which attracted commentators pen to paper was the action of Mr. Vincent Ogbulafor, the stamped into office PDP National Chairman. Though not counted among Nigerians who have shown seriousness in whatever they do in life, his unilateral action of disbanding an elected state executive of PDP and constituting an interim executive, his handing over the PDP leadership flag to a fellow who left the Party in 2002 and crossed over to AD, returned to PDP in a controversial circumstances in 2004, left again to PPA to further his political ambition is but an affront to common sense and reasonability. Besides Ogbulafor action reprehensible as it is ,further smacks fraud and must be condemned by men of goodwill. Questions now asked include, did the National Working Committee discuss the case of Imo State before Ogbulafor did what he did in Owerri, what happened to those provisions as set by the same National Working Committee that states that returnee members must take back seat on issues of enjoying party privileges again how come these act only occur during the leadership of Vin Ogbulafor as Chairman that as it happened in Bauchi and Zamfara. However those who have privileged information on the inner workings of the PDP confirm that the action of Ogbulafor as it concerns what he did in Imo PDP is strange, untoward and crisis prone. But the same pundits say, that for Ogbulafor to take such unilateral action without consulting the NWC, he must have been induced heavily by Ikedi Ohakim and this inducement is aside the money given to Ogbulafor running into millions of naira to enable the PDP Chairman pay for his house in Asokoro a mansion he bought from FCT Chairman Adamu Aliero. Besides it is a notorious fact that Ohakim has been picking Ogbulafor’s bill and those of his family members as shown in his constant visit to Imo State in recent times, in a sense therefore what happened in Imo State last time was pay back opportunity by Ogbulafor to Ohakim but unfortunately for Ogbulafor, Imo is perhaps is not in the political mould of states like Bauchi and Zamfara where he unilaterally dissolved elected state chapters and got away with it. Yes his action last week was challenged by some stakeholders who took Ogbulafor to Court. In a suit filed by the stakeholders before erudite Justice Ngozi Opara, the stakeholders had challenged the right of Ogbulafor to unilaterally dissolve an elected executive chapter and constituting a new one without due process and demanded a return to status quo. In his considered ruling, Mr. Justice Ngozi Opara known in legal circles as fearless, erudite and cerebral not only accepted the prayers of the plaintiff but ordered that a return to status quo before the madness of July 26. To show that his judgment was not only a considered one but and popular at that, the entire PDP machinery in Imo went wild with jubilation such at that every joint in Imo state, drinks were freely offered people to celebrate the judgment of Messrs Ngozi Opara. Besides PDP stakeholders and their supporters, several others in various endeavours have not ceased to salute the erudite judgment describing as a Daniel come to judgment. In Owerri for instance,a cross section of people ranging from lawyers to Doctors have continued to send goodwill messages to the PDP Stakeholders who had the courage to challenge cheap autocracy, madness and desire to convert nothing into something by Vin Ogbulafor. John Ikem, an Owerri based lawyer had described the judgment as good for our democracy and urged more judges in the country to be proactive. His words “I think the era of these kind of untoward act by the likes of Ogbulafor ended with the monstrous regime of Olusegun Obasanjo, i salute the courage of those stakeholders who saw reason in ensuring that the right done is done here. A PDP stakeholder in Isu, Engr Martins Nwamadi was so overjoyed that he called a press briefing in Owerri and saluted those who had courage to take on such unilateral act by Ogbulafor. His words, “I think we need to careful if we still cherish our hard earned democracy and one way of doing so is to ditch such action as carried out by Ogbulafor when he came to Imo to receive Ohakim to PDP. He should have just stopped at welcoming Ohakim but dissolving an entire state executive, pronouncing Ohakim as a the leader of PDP and constituting an interim PDP executive is not acceptable, so I salute the courage of the judge who looked those imposters in the face and did the right thing if not for anything in the interest of democracy and growth of Imo PDP. Aside stakeholders, some Observers and political pundits say the judgment which last week directed a return to status quo is not only refreshing but a pointer to the fact that those who wished to hijack the structures for selfish reasons have kissed dust, moreover it has put an end to the horse trading in several wards in Imo State where poor, innocent party faithful were made to part with huge amount of money by some characters from Imo Government house just to make the list of executives and delegates. Besides, the judgment is so refreshing that it will put the likes of Ogbulafor whose new penchant as PDP chairman is to create crisis in chapters of PDP on the right reasoning path. Now with what has happened in Imo State, some State Chapters which he has been penciled down for dissolution will enjoy relative peace. Most importantly the judgment reassures Imo People and Nigerians and the International Community that all is still well with our democracy despite the untoward act of people like Obasanjo Bode George, Ozichukwu and Ahmadu Ali who sowed this seed of crisis and discord in PDP and are still walking the streets of Nigeria free as if nothing happened. We say it here that with what happened in Imo as regards popular ruling of the court, the Ogbulafors’ of this world no doubt been put to shame but the beauty of the entire development is that rule of law has prevailed over evil and human calculations. Who says Yar’adua’s 7 point is not working and well too.
Uba Maximus lives in Mbaise Nigeria.
