By Cajetan Mmuta, Awka
The axiom that when the road is good, people tend to pass it as many times as possible is true, but if the reverse is the case, even the hardened or courageous will dread to dare.
For the people of the Heartland State of Imo, Saturday, November 11, is here and certain. The field of play is open, the players are warming up, and the goalpost is ready, while the referee, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the men are assertive over preparations.
All eyes are on the electoral umpire and are earnestly waiting for D-Day. Those participating in the election include the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government and its candidate, Governor Hope Uzodinma; the Action Alliance (AA), Labour Party (LP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressive Party (YPP) and others have no doubt, oiled and perfectly greased their political machinery ahead of the epic battle on Saturday next week.
For Governor Uzodinma and his foot soldiers, there is no going back in their schemes for victory. But the maverick strategies of forces of the Labour Party, (LP), PDP, and APGA are poised to give Uzodinma a tough masterstroke, and a run for his money and power for power.
The 16 participating opposition political parties, no doubt, are not allowing anything to chance and have deployed measures with readiness and permeating campaign messages, in line with the programmes set by INEC for an organised, peaceful, and credible poll.
Recall that Uzodinma, a political czar and businessman from Omuma in the Oru-East Local Government area, for the past three years and nine months, has presided over as the chief steward in Imo State.
He became governor in 2020 after a judgement by the Supreme Court, which to some legal experts and analysts said was shrouded in controversies.
Expectedly, the all-important contest offers another opportunity for the over two million registered voters across the 27 local government areas of the three senatorial districts to come out and freely cast their votes to choose which one amongst the 17 participating political parties and the candidates is best to steer the ship of the state.
The gubernatorial election is scheduled by the INEC to be held in 4,720 out of 7,758 polling units. The electoral body had stated that the governorship contest would not be held in 38 polling units with zero registered voters.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC, Mrs Sylvia Agu, at a press conference held in Owerri, the state capital, stated that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would be deployed to various polling units for voter accreditation and uploading of results. The REC further disclosed that 2,318,999 people had collected their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCS), while 101,003 people had yet to collect their PCVs. A total of 21,000 staff are to be deployed for the smooth conduct of the election across the state.
At the moment, there is heightened anxiety within the camps of both the parties and their candidates as well as the electorate in the journey to redefine the history of the state. It becomes important, therefore, that all hands must be on deck in the onerous task of returning the state to its egalitarian and peaceful status as espoused by the founding fathers.
Unfortunately, the desires, ideas, and ideal contributions of a good number of opinion leaders, elders, scholars, captains of industries, professionals, businessmen, women, groups, and individuals, as well as the masses whose efforts have directly or indirectly contributed towards making the state thick, have been blundered by insensitivity, ego and selfish desires of extremists and over-ambitious leaderships.
However, Governor Uzodinma, since the inception of his government, has made tremendous achievements with the reconstruction and construction of over 120 roads that were initially in a pitiable situation to boost the transportation needs of people at the grassroots and urban areas.
More than 47 roads have so far been built in the Owerri municipality, while 62 roads have received attention in the three senatorial districts of Owerri, Orlu, and Okigwe respectively.
The administration had accorded befitting a face-lift to most public buildings in the state, with special attention to the State House of Assembly complex, the state secretariat, Executive Council Chambers; and the Office of the First Lady. In addition, he renovated the Armoury and Auxiliary building at the Government House and the deputy governor’s lodge.
Currently, there is ongoing construction of Mass Housing Estates in Okigwe, Owerri, and Orlu towns which has reached an advanced stage through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement and is designed for Imo State civil servants under a mortgage arrangement to provide soft-landing for Imo State workers, as well as offer them the opportunity to own their own houses after retirement.
The APC-led government also recovered all looted and illegally acquired public properties by the top officials of the immediate past administration and those of private individuals. Governor Uzodimma courageously deployed all known legal means at his disposal to recover almost all those properties back to the government.
These include the Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University, Ogboko, built with taxpayers’ money to the tune of N40bn, markets constructed with public funds, as well as the Standard Shoe Industry built by the then Sam Mbakwe administration. It must be stated that the industry had earlier been taken over by the Access Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) for the non-payment of the sum of N1.6bn debt, a huge sum the government of Governor Hope Uzodimma paid to recover the company.
The commerce and industry sector is not left out in the drive by the administration to diversify the economic base of Imo State. This is aimed at expanding the various markets in the state. To this end, the government constructed an Ultra-Modern Market in Owerri Capital with over 3,000 shops in it.
According to Uzodimma, the building of the market has become essential given the population explosion in the state and the attendant challenges being faced in the commercial sector, hence providing a buffer for traders and other business communities.
He said the market would also serve as a mini terminal for small and medium-scale industries to market their products and equally create an economy of scale for allied Industries to enjoy a healthy interface for optimal productivity and revenue generation for the state.
To further boost the economic viability of the South-East zone, Governor Uzodimma flagged off the construction of a seaport in Oguta, with a link to other waterways. The project, described as a Hydrography Project, involved the dredging of the Oguta Lake through the Urashi River to the Atlantic Ocean and is to ease the transportation of goods to the hinterlands.
Uzodinma said that the necessary Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) had been completed for the take-off of the project.
Moreso, within the period, the government ensured the blockage of financial leakages in government revenue. It introduced the Single Treasury Account policy which bolstered the revenue profile of the state to up to N5bn, while the monthly allocation of the state was raised to 75 per cent.
It holds, therefore, that the people of Imo State must make wise and conscientious decisions through the ballot box to regalvanise the socio-economic, political, and cultural life of the people so that they can have signs of relief for working collectively to inject new blood into the system to return the state to its path of pride, glory, and envy of all.
Also, it is only through this demonstration of courage, strong desire, unwavering commitment, patriotism, and selfless sacrifice that they can convincingly enthrone a modest, desirable, and realistic change that guarantees genuine development where law, order, and peaceful coexistence thrive unhindered.
For years past, the state has witnessed unsavoury political turbulence that only stirred Irreconcilable division and crises that knee and stunt indices of growth and economic recovery.
Besides, the current spate of insecurity in Imo State and the four other states in the South-East geo-political call for grave concern. Anambra, Abia, Enugu, and Ebonyi states are not left out in the threatening menace.
At the epicentre of the worrisome challenge is the grievous state of marginalisation of Ndigbo by successive governments at the centre in the scheme of things in the nation’s political realm after the inglorious 1967-1970 civil war.
Also, the continued stifling of the mouth of opposition and agitation for the Biafra Republic as well as the arrest and detention of Nazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, have combined to complicate the situation in the SouthEast region.
Mazi Kanu is currently in the detention facility of the Department of State Service (DSS), in Abuja.
The IPOB and its militant arm, Eastern Security Network (ESN) have stepped up strong resistance in defence in their quest for the Biafra republic.
The state of insecurity has therefore assumed a precarious and violent dimension with bloody clashes with the Imo government-sponsored vigilante known as Ebubeagu.
The APC-controlled state government in collaboration with the federal government has deployed troops of the Joint Taskforce to deal with the challenge.
More than 6, 000 youths, middle-aged persons, and elderly people have so far been killed in violent circumstances while billions of naira worth of public or private properties have been destroyed and burnt down since the onslaught.
A good number of the victims have mysteriously been declared missing. Life and living have been miserable in most of the villages and communities in Imo state.
Illegal arms are in the wrong hands and groups masquerading under the guise of unknown gunmen who take over control of areas considered as flashpoints in the state.
Worse still, communities and towns in some local government areas of the state such as Orlu, Orsu, Mbaitolu, Oru East, and Oru West; Nwangele, Mbano, Owerri, and others have been deserted with death figures at the peak.
Youths have fled their homes while social and economic activities are at a low ebb. Worst still, lives have continued to be threatened; children have suddenly been turned into orphans and women are left in endless tears as they are helplessly turned widows with the power of guns that sent their breadwinners to their wakey graves.
The challenge of insecurity in the South East has negatively affected the socio-economic and political development of Imo State.
Capital flight has risen tremendously with investors exploring safer locations as activities of miscreant and obvious resistances continue to decimate opportunities available to the state.
Sadly, most of the armed non-state actors have taken up arms against the innocent law-abiding citizens at the grassroots.
Kidnapping, killings, and other violent crimes have been committed on the unsuspecting wealthy, middle class, and others by hoodlums.
The Governor Hope Uzodimma administration, in conjunction with the Federal government, has injected fresh impetus into crime-fighting which has indeed recorded commendable results.
No society is free of crime. Most perpetrators of the heinous crime and criminality are gradually being brought to book through the instrumentality of the South East Joint Task Force on Security. Governors of states in the geopolitical zone under the umbrella of the South-East Governors Forum with Uzodimma as Chairman, have continued to interface towards nipping in the bud the troubling challenges.
There have been weeks and months of renewed Airstrikes In major security flash points areas which are yielding positive results with the arrest of a good number of the hoodlums and recovery of arms. Some of those who turned in their guns were granted amnesty and provided with gainful employment in a bid to encourage others still in the bushes and forests to abandon their bloody trades.
The South-East Governors Forum is relentlessly working collaboratively with the Igbo apex body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by an Elder Statesman Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu towards the release of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The gesture is believed to be receiving due attention as it would end the activities of the unknown gunmen in the South-East and by extension in Imo state.
