By John Mgbe
\nI have listened with shock and disbelief Governor Rochas Okorocha\u2019s
\ndenial that he did not at any time make a promise or a
\npledge of serving just a term of four years if elected governor
\nin 2011. Those who are religious will also describe it as a vow. I have
\ndecided to use the word \u201cVOW\u201d so that the reader can understand
\nthe seriousness of the issue under discussion. The Wikipedia
\nOnline dictionary defines \u201cvow\u201d as (1) a solemn promise, pledge or
\npersonal commitment: a vow of secrecy \u201c(2) a solemn promise made
\nto a deity, or saint committing oneself to an act, service or
\ncondition; (3) a solemn or earnest declaration to God or a saint;
\n\u2026\u2026\u2026\u201d In order to understand the enormity of the issue at
\nstake, let us take a trip to the BOOK of LIFE in order to
\nhear from the Supreme Immanent Triune Deity (God) on the issue
\nof the consequences and implications of getting involved in a
\nvow which one does not intend to fulfil. The Book of James
\n5-12 states thus: \u201cBut above all my brothers do not swear either
\nby heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your
\nyes be yes and your no be no, so that you may not fall
\nunder condemnation. \u201cAgain, The Book of Deutronomy23:21-23 states
\nthus: \u201cIf you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not
\ndelay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it
\nof you and you will be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to
\ndo what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed
\nto the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.\u201d
\nThe Book of Numbers 30:1-16 says: \u201dMoses says to the head of the
\ntribes of the people of Israel saying: \u201cThis is what the Lord has
\ncommanded. If a man vows a vow to the Lord or swears on oath
\nto bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break it, he shall
\ndo according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.\u201d In the
\nsame vein, the Bible is replete with several passages that
\ntalk about the consequences of breaking a vow. Since I am not
\nin a catechism or theology class coupled with the
\nconstraints\/paucity of space, I do not wish to veer into that
\nrealm in this discussion. We have a glut of evangelists in
\nthe Journalism profession who may wish to expand that area of
\ndiscussion-i.e. the consequences of treating our vows with levity,
\ncontempt , and disdain.
\nIn his recent broadcast, I was disorientated when Governor Okorocha
\nsaid that there was no time he said he would serve just
\none term of four years. According to him, all he said was that
\nhis government, if voted into power, would be \u201ca 90 – minutes in
\nEntebbe\u201d (whatever that means). I am totally disappointed that a
\ngovernor who gives the impression of being a Charismatic
\nChristian of Catholic Church extraction could exhibit such
\nbarefaced denial on a statement which he made in the midst of
\na sea of humanity who thronged Rosy Arts Theatre, Owerri on
\nFriday 7th January, 2011 to celebrate his reconciliation with Chief
\nMartin Agbaso (Ochudo). Chief Agbaso was the then Czar\/the big
\nCock in the All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA) Owerri. It is
\ndeplorable that a governor who has made so much show about
\nreligiosity should be found so remiss and empty on such a
\nsimple issue as owing up to a statement he voluntarily made
\nbefore a global audience. This is very tragic indeed. In this State
\nof Imo, we have a governor who has built an exotic
\nGovernment House Chapel; those who have entered there say it\u2019s a
\ngreat place; he has decreed that the Catholic Prayer -The
\nAngelus- must be prayed for 10 minutes by the workers on Imo
\nState Government Pay roll on each working day and he will
\nhardly end a sentence without alluding to the need to walk
\nin the ways of the Lord. It rankles that such a politician
\ndoes not have any qualms in denying a vow which he made in
\nour very eyes -a vow which actually facilitated the massive
\nsupport we extended to him in the 2011 governorship poll. Our
\nGod is a jealous God who will not share his honour; those who
\nmake it through God\u2019s intervention and want to donate it to
\ndemi – gods or shrines will fail.
\nMy grouse is that I was very deeply embedded in the
\nAPGA\/Okorocha\u2019s governorship agenda of 2011. Above all, as a
\nmedia professional (volunteer) who was working with the Media
\nCoordinator, the Late Lolo Ogoke, I personally covered the event
\nwhere Owelle Okorocha announced to the humanity who thronged ROSY
\nARTS Theater, Ikenegbu that: \u201dI will serve only a term of four
\nyears and hand over to Owerri zone\u201d. I am writing this viewpoint
\nto expose the abysmal hypocrisy of some politicians who masquerade
\nas men of God in the political landscape of Imo State even when
\nthey are the face of Judas Iscariot. In a normal situation,
\njournalists who cover events should uncover what transpired so
\nthat society can know what is happening. This is why the Press
\nis described as the Fourth Estate; it\u2019s a mirror through which
\nsociety can take a look at itself in order to know where
\nit stands. So, I appeal to our journalists and public
\ncommentators to make this gubernatorial denial an issue in order
\nto guard against a reoccurrence. It is the task of media professionals
\nto hold their leaders to account. This is the only way we can build
\nstrong political institutions.
\nThere is something fundamentally dangerous in a situation where
\na state governor does not feel any qualm of conscience in
\ndisseminating falsehood to the populace. It is a gratuitous
\ninsult on those of us who stayed by him as volunteers in the
\nstruggle to actualize his governorship agenda. Perhaps, for the
\numpteenth time, I must state vehemently that Governor Okorocha\u2019s
\ndenial that he did not promise or undertake to serve just
\none term and hand over to Owerri zone is a falsehood of
\ngargantuan proportion; I don\u2019t remember when last I heard this
\nmagnitude of fabricated mendacity from a person in his social
\nclass. It rankles that very often Governor Okorocha talks before
\nhe thinks; he often prides himself as the only cock that
\ncrows in Imo State, nay, in Igbo land. This is a very
\ndangerous character flaw which bodes no good for the populace
\nin Imo State.
\nOkorocha\u2019s promise or vow to serve one tenure and hand over to
\nOwerri zone was voluntarily made in a public forum where the
\npopulace or what may be better put as \u201cWe the People\u201d gathered
\nto celebrate his reconciliation with Chief Martin Agbaso who
\nOwelle Okorocha on that occasion described as \u201cthe General of
\nthe Army who would not let me pass.\u201d So, the vow is sacrosanct and
\nought to be actualized. It is my opinion that a leader who
\ncannot stand by his vow is a danger to society, more so, in a
\ndemocracy. I cannot in conscience join the maddening crowd who
\nhave joined the choir of praise singers who incessantly praise
\nGovernor Okorocha for real and imaginary feats. I see such
\nsycophants as belonging to the family of goats who must
\nalways follow the man that is carrying the palm frond. It\u2019s
\nunfortunate; It\u2019s a shame to the various social clusters in Imo
\nState whose members keep mum in the face of the dictatorship of
\nthe rule of law which Okorocha\u2019s Administration represents. In
\nfact , Governor Okorocha even went further to tell us that:\u201d only
\ndunces repeat classes; as a brilliant student, I cannot repeat
\nthe governorship class. I will serve one tenure and hand over to
\nOwerri zone and move to Abuja where I belong\u201d. So, it is
\ndeplorable that a politician who said all these in public is
\ntoday very desperate to do a second tenure. Is there no conscience
\nin politics? In spite of so much religiosity in this
\nAdministration, there is so much profanity? Why is this so?
\nFurthermore, during Owelle\u2019s electioneering campaign rally in
\nEmekuku in Owerri North in March 2011, this is what Owelle
\nOkorocha said: \u201dI will not change any council chairman or
\ncouncilor; they have a tenure. At the end of their tenure , there
\nwill be election. I will be too busy to start thinking of a
\nnew election. I intend to pay Council chairmen their full money
\nas it comes from the Federal Government so that they can start
\ndeveloping the local areas\u201d. Please read the report on page 6 of
\nthe White Paper newspaper of Friday, March 25-27th 2011. But did
\nGovernor Okorocha observe his vow not to sack or disband the
\nLGAs- a vow he made in the presence of an overflowing crowd
\nthat thronged the campaign ground? He took the oath of office
\nand oath of allegiance on May, 29th, 2011. On the 6th day of
\nJune, 2011-a week after his inauguration- he made his maiden
\nbroadcast to the populace. In that provocative broadcast, he
\ndissolved the 27 Local Government Councils and sacked the 10,000
\nyouths who were employed by his predecessor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim.
\nHe dissolved the Imo Traditional Rulers\u2019 Council and announced
\nother draconian measures which shocked right thinking members of
\nsociety. When reminded of his campaign promise that he would
\nnot dissolve the Local Councils, Governor Okorocha replied with
\nan imperial bravado: \u201dI don\u2019t believe in the rule of law; I
\ndon\u2019t believe in due process; it slows me down\u201d. It is my
\nopinion that a politician who does not see anything wrong in
\nannouncing with glee his contempt for rule of law and due
\nprocess is not worthy of being given the levers of power in
\nany democratic ambience. It does not matter that such a leader
\nis mounting air conditioners in the streets of Owerri
\nmunicipality or tarring the roads with gold and diamonds or
\neven throwing money about to praise singers as if money was
\ngoing out of use. Such a leader is a danger to democracy and
\nI cannot be part of those who pour encomiums on such a
\nperson.
\nThe Local Government Monthly Allocations: Did Governor Okorocha
\nkeep his vow \u201cto pay Council chairmen their full money as it
\ncomes from the Federal Government so that they can start
\ndeveloping the local areas\u201d? Never; in fact there is no evidence
\nthat he still remembers the vow at all. The sad fact is that
\nGovernor Okorocha has virtually abolished the Local Government
\ntier in Imo State in preference to what he calls \u201cCommunity
\nGovernment Councils (CGCs)\u201d. The CGC is a parallel tier of
\ngovernment in which the traditional rulers hold sway and funds
\nfor the development of the Local Government Areas are
\nchanneled through the traditional rulers. Today in Imo state,
\nthe Local Government tier has become irrelevant as they have
\nbecome mere antiques which exist only on paper. In this scenario,
\nthe monthly allocations to the LGAs are handled as mere petty
\ncash by Governor Okorocha.
\nHow about Okorocha\u2019s vow to conduct Local Government Election as
\nat when due? It is pathetic to say that governor Okorocha no
\nlonger remembers that there is anything called Local Government
\nelection in the Constitution. He changes Local Government
\nofficials in the same way a sole proprietary business sacks
\nand recruits staff; he appoints new officials at the drop of
\na hat. When it pleases him, he appoints sole administrators; at other
\ntimes, he prefers to use Transitional Chairmen to run the
\nCouncils. The LG Councils in Imo State are run as if they were
\nRochas Foundation Business Empire – the sole proprietary business
\nof Governor Rochas Okorocha.
\nIt is on the grounds of Governor Okorocha\u2019s contempt for the
\nrule of law and due process that I have persistently
\nmaintained that we are not practising democracy in Imo State. We
\nseem to be practising Ochlocracy or Mobocracy or even a
\ngovernment of Plutocracy in Imo State. Ochlocracy may be defined
\nas \u201cmob rule\u201d and a mob could be defined as a group without a
\nleader or any social group that is bereft of any organized
\nrules of engagement. In the same vein, Mobocracy has been defined
\nby the Wikipedia online dictionary as \u201cPolitical control by a mob
\nor the mass of common people as the source of political
\npower.\u201d Plutocracy is a government by the rich\/wealthy.
\nIt rankles that Governor Okorocha whose 2011 governorship victory
\nwas buoyed by the actions and inactions of President Jonathan
\nis today the only governor in the South East who is hostile
\nto President Jonathan\u2019s second tenure bid. It is even pathetic
\nthat Governor Okorocha who has been vehement in denouncing
\nPresident Jonathan for bearing Igbo names of Azikiwe and Ebele
\nrecently announced to a stunned audience in a political rally
\nin Owerri that the great grandmother of Buhari was an Igbo
\nwoman and Buhari\u2019s other name is Okechukwu .This is terrible
\nindeed!
\nWe are making much ado about morality because it was the
\nrevered United States President, George Bush (Snr) who once said
\nsomething to the effect that \u201cWhat Africa needs is strong
\npolitical institutions and not powerful or strong politicians.\u201d You
\ncannot build a strong political system on a weak moral or
\nlegal base. Yes, it was the revered jurist, Baron Denning, who
\nonce held that \u201cYou cannot place something on nothing and expect
\nit to stay there. It will fall.\u201d Records show that the former
\nUnited States President, George Bush (Snr) lost his second term bid
\nas President of United States because of a failed promise he
\nmade while campaigning in 1988. What happened on that occasion
\nwas that in 1988, George Bush (Snr) ran a successful campaign to
\nbecome President of United States. In his desperation to win the
\nelection, he promised that he would not raise taxes. Hear George
\nBush: \u201dwatch my lips, I will not raise taxes.\u201c He won the poll when he
\ndefeated his Democratic opponent, Michael Dukakis. George Bush was a
\nvery effective President who performed so well on Foreign
\nPolicy. He carried out successful military incursions in Panama and the
\nPersian Gulf. It was under his watch that Berlin Wall collapsed in 1989.
\nHe also presided over the fall of Soviet Union (U.S.S.R) which
\nlater splintered to 15 sovereign states. In spite of these record
\nshattering achievements, the voters in the United States voted
\nhim out and denied him a second tenure. Their grouse was that
\nin 1988, he (George Bush) had vowed that he would not raise
\ntaxes during his rule. Unfortunately, as a result of the stark
\neconomic realities that faced him when he became President, he
\nreneged on the promise when he signed an increase in taxes which
\nCongress had passed. In spite of his sagacity and effectiveness
\nin government, the voters dumped him because he was seen to be
\ndishonest and unreliable because he failed to keep his vow or
\npromise of not increasing taxes. We draw attention to these
\nissues because It was the revered scholar\/philosopher, ROUSSEAU
\nwho warned that: \u201dAs soon as any man says of the affairs of
\nstate, \u201cwhat does it matter to me?\u201d the state may be given up
\nfor lost\u201d. Furthermore, It was Edmund Burke who once posited that
\n\u201call that is necessary for the forces of evil to triumph is for
\nenough good men to do nothing\u201d. It is on this account that we
\nmedia professionals take the burden of holding our leaders to
\naccount. Again, while denouncing leaders who are not loyal to
\ntheir promises, the great ZIK said in his poem entitled:
\n\u201dUnfulfilled Promises \u201c which is one of the poems in his book:
\n\u201dCivil War Soliloquies\u201d page 43: the Great ZIK said :\u201dThe worst of
\nsins committed by our friends are promises disguised to gain
\ntheir ends\u201d. He said that such leaders were dangerous in a
\npolitical environment.
\nIn conclusion, it is my opinion that our governor, Owelle
\nOkorocha, has tried a lot within his abilities in order to
\ntransform Imo State. We are grateful to him for \u201ccondescending\u201d to
\nserve us as governor. In any case, it is time for him to leave
\nin faithful compliance with his vow before God and man, more
\nso, since promise is a social debt. It was just one act of
\ndisobedience that caused Moses of the Bible not to see the
\nPromised Land; yes, it\u2019s one act of disobedience that caused the
\nwife of Lot to turn to a pillar of salt after she looked
\nback at Sodom (Genesis 19). Again, the revered poet, George
\nSantayana, once posited that \u201c Those who don\u2019t learn from history
\nrepeat their mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mgbe writes from Orlu, Imo State and can be reached on johnmgbe@yahoo.com<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By John Mgbe I have listened with shock and disbelief Governor Rochas Okorocha\u2019s denial that he did not at any time make a promise or a pledge of serving just…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n