Date Published: 03/04/10

UBA: WHEN OHAKIM GOOFED By Ebere Alozie

Sometime the before the 2003 general elections, I had traveled to Owerri, the Imo State Capital on the invitation of the present Chip Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha to cover a fund raising dinner put together by the Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party under the Chairmanship of Dr. Alex Obi. The Fund raising Dinner which took place at the Prestigious Imo Concord Hotel, an edifice built by former Governor Sam Mbakwe had in attendance who is who in Imo politics. In the hall were the Senators from the State, the state Governor Chief Udenwa, political heavy weights like Anumudu, Greg Mbadiwe, Rochas Okorocha, infact it was a gathering of political who is who. Somewhere in the crowded hall I had spoted an old friend and, colleague, Mr. Maximus Uba, who had left the newsroom to run a public relations firm. He was seated with a man I could hardly recognize but who appeared arrogant. Uba had then introduced me to the man as one who will take over Chief Achike Udenwa in a couple of months, his name Chief Ikedi Ohakim. Hear Uba; “Don’t be cowed by these big names you see here, the issue of who will govern Imo State in 2003 is already settled and seated on this table with you  is the next Governor of Imo State, he was a former Commissioner under Evans Enwerem, you can see he fits into the bill. Much later after the dinner, Uba had insisted I meet the man one on one in his Hotel room upstairs at least to get a first hand from his “Client” and be the first in his words to interview the “incoming Governor”. After the encounter I confessed to Mr. Maximus Uba my findings on this man, one of which is that the man is arrogant and appears to be day dreaming and stands no chance in my estimation to clinch the position, but Uba had begged me to see good sides of the man which is that he is intelligent, easy going and ready to accommodate superior and intelligent views. 

Unfortunately the Kaduna based Newspaper which I was its correspondent closed shop after the 2003 election and I never got to hear from Uba or his client until I read in the papers that the man had been elected Governor of Imo State. I had then put a call across to Mr. Uba to congratulate him and his client on the victory. Uba had thanked me profusely, and thereafter gave me the number of the Governor to congratulate him via texts, as assignment I’m not sure I carried out.  Ordinarily the way Mr. Uba spoke, defended and talked about Chief Ikedi Ohakim, between 2000 – 2006 this writer was surprised to read articles written by this same Uba few months the man assumed office. Infact if my count was right, Mr. Uba had written at least 50 articles between the time the Governor was sworn in, in May 2007 and December of the same year when I ran into him at the Transpcorp Hilton. What happened I had asked Mr. Uba, he would rather we discuss another thing as according to him the matter between him and the Imo State Governor was one between a younger and elder brother which has much to do with family progress. Prodded further Uba confirmed that there is no love lost  between him and Governor especially because he has refused to congratulate him and on top of that is criticizing him and his government. Hear Uba “I thank God you remembered   our first encounter with the Governor at the PDP Fund raising dinner over eight years, that means I had always identified and wished him well, I had been there for him when these fables who surround him today did not even know him. The truth of the matter my brother is that I have little patience for Injustice, highhandedness which Obasanjo wrought in Imo State in 2007. I’m talking about what they did to Araraume who won two primaries of PDP, I was not even his fan then, so my friend is a product of that injustice. Okey let us agree that he has taken power, the least the man could have done is to enthrone good governance in Imo State but he preferred to do the contrary, and you know I would not be party to misgovernance. But his aides who include Steve Osuji, Amanze Obi, Pini Jason and others like Okere would say because I was made not Chief Press Secretary and I asked how I would be Press Secretary 22years after leaving the University, at other time they would say because the man refused to pay my fees to do Masters degree but the truth is that I have two Masters obtained before 1995, it is very cheap way of defending issues and here we are still at each other throat” But the drama between Uba and his mentor, Chief Ohakim has assumed a new dimension as last two weeks I had read in the papers how anti riot policemen numbering over ten had accosted and arrested Mr. Uba at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja before bundling him to Owerri by road to answer to a defamation charge as preferred by Governor Ikedi Ohakim. Before Mr. Uba travails, I read the ugly encounter between this same Governor and one activist called Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha, an encounter which left the activist bruised and maimed. The first thing that came to my mind is that with Ubas arrest, the Governor will mete out the same treatment he meted to Mr. Iwuoha on Mr. Uba, I even feared for his life when I learnt that he was moved to Owerri by Road on orders of the state Governor, I was a bit relieved after six days of the illegal cowboy show that Mr. Uba was granted bail by the Magistrate Court in Owerri; but not before spending over six days at the Oweri Prisons where he was remanded. 

But in all these ugly drama in Imo State what any discerning mind can see is tailored act of the Governor to silence opposition no more no less, otherwise how can the police come all the way from Owerri to abduct Uba without a warrant from a Magistrate. It is even sad to know that Police Command of Imo State is in full complicity with the people in Imo Government House to perpetrate human right abuse in such a damning dimension. But the question the likes of Amanze Obi, Pini Jason and Ethelbert Okere had refused to answer about the abduction of Mr. Maximus Uba from Abuja is whether Mr. Uba actually jumped bail and I asked which Magistrate Court issued the warrant which the Police claimed gives it authority to arrest Mr. Maximus Uba. I further ask which date was the matter taken to court and was Mr. Uba served, and through him. Again the act of the Police command to pressure the media in Owerri to write their own side of the report without hearing from Mr. Uba smacks irresponsibility on the part of the Police. The Question then becomes, what does Imo Police command and Governor Ohakim want to gain from the incarceration of Mr. Uba and who authorized the abduction of Mr. Uba from his abode in Abuja in the first place. We also ask why the governor Ohakim would rather use police to effect arrest of writers rather than take them to court for libel. The whole thing appears disturbing to any discerning mind and the People in Government House are not making their case better. Thus rather than these efforts the Imo State Government to silence opposition all in its bid to perpetuate itself in office, efforts should rather be geared towards putting smiles on the face of its citizens, that to discerning mind is more profitable than this present brigande. Besides a situation where Elders whether political or religious are keeping quiet in the face of this emerging despotism does not and should not have a space in Imo politics, yes today it is Alex Obi, Ikenna Samuelson and Maximus Uba tomorrow the man may decide to close down the Cathedral and send the Bishop. But we ask again, did Ohakim get it right in arresting Maximus Uba , only God will save Imo State. 

Ebere Alozie a lawyer was with Republic Newspaper in Kaduna.