By Collins Ughalaa KSC
The case of Chinonso Ubah, alias Nonso Nkwa, who was arrested by the police from Abuja on Saturday, July 29, has proved that some comedians have taken over the microphone at some radio stations and are churning out what could better be described as comic reliefs and tagging them truths. Knowing that they are talking to a gullible public, they stray into very serious issues and make assertions that are not just untrue but criminal in nature. Yours sincerely can beat his chest and say that he has paid his dues in using the instrumentality of the media and advocacy to hold governments and leaders accountable, especially in Imo State. In all of that, yours sincerely had always drawn the line between truth and untruth, fact and fiction, responsible journalism and irresponsible one, constructive criticism and deconstructive criticism, libel, defamation, and fair commentary. As one of those who popularised the concept of reputation/perception management, I also know what exchanging banters mean. There is always a line never to cross.
Governor Hope Uzodimma is highly tolerant of criticism and dissenting views. If that was not the case and he was like some other leaders we have had in the state, we might be talking about something else. Nonso Nkwa is not the only "broadcaster" or political commentator who has been critical of the governor, and we must understand the difference between calling the governor the Supreme Court Governor and calling him a killer. One could be considered political, and the other could be considered criminal. There is a difference between claiming that the governor has not performed well or that you do not like him, and asserting that he is in connivance with some people to kill Imo people and destroy their property. The governor swore an oath under our constitution to protect life and property. You do not only cross the line when you call him a killer, but you put yourself in a position to substantiate your claims when called upon to do so.
We find it worrisome that while Nonso was accusing the governor of being responsible for the killings and destruction in parts of Imo, those who now call for his immediate release from police custody hailed him and quarrelled with anyone who tried to advise him to thread with caution. As our friend, we showed concern that Nonso was behaving in a way that was untoward. But those who hailed him did so because they thought he was fighting their "enemy." It is not surprising that among those calling for Nonso’s release is Ugochinyere. Many people would have been surprised if Ugochinyere did not call for Nonso’s release, but what bothers many is that Ugochinyere himseld is a fugitive. While he was reckless like Nonso in his utterances and accused the governor of being responsible for the insecurity in parts of Imo, he has since used the judiciary to evade legitimate police invitation and investigation.
According to a report on Premiumtimes of March 15, 2023, the police through a letter signed by the deputy commissioner of police in charge of Administration, Ukachi Opara, on behalf of the police commissioner, invited Ugochinyere and others. In the letter dated 13 March, the police commissioner asked the State Chairman of the PDP to produce the invited persons at the state criminal bureau on Thursday by 10 a.m. Many people expected that Ugochinyere, who was running his mouth on several media spaces, would appear before the police and expose all those involved in insecurity. But what did he do? He chickened out and clandestinely approached a high court and obtained an order setting aside the police invitation. Failing to appear before the police investigation team, Ugochinyere disappointed millions of Imo people, especially those who hoped that he would use the opportunity of the police investigations to unravel all he knew.
It is, therefore, no coincidence that Ugochinyere, who is running away from the long arm of the law, is now chief among those calling for the release of Nonso Nkwa. In a viral video, he shamelessly lied that he was speaking for the Imo State Caucus of the House of Representatives, whereas the caucus is yet to be established or inaugurated. The derivative from this shenanigan is that Ugochinyere is an imposter seeking to grab the headlines and be in the discussion at all times. Events show that this is his trademark, and he schemes to benefit from even the ugliest situation.
Ugochinyere hides under legitimate groups and legitimate courses to carry out his selfish activities. He hid under the CUPP to achieve his selfish ends. There are unconfirmed stories making the rounds that Ugochinyere was a front of the embattled CBN governor, presumably doing all the dirty deals for him while hiding under the cloak of spokesperson for the CUPP. According to the story, the former CBN governor, in return, reportedly made him stupendously rich and even presumably funded his election through countless other fronts. Ugochinyere suffers seizures always, pokenosing into matters that do not concern him just to cover his tracks. But what Ugochinyere does not realise is that "You can fool all people some of the time and some people all the time. But you can never fool all people all the time," according to Abraham Lincoln. It is not shocking, therefore, that some people have called on security agencies to investigate him.
Some of those supporting Nonso are taunting us with the insecurity in our own communities. We have always told them that Nonso’s problem is not that he said there is insecurity in Imo. Whether he believes it is politically contrived or not is not the issue. But Nonso’s problem is that he accused the governor of killing Imo people. We have also made the point that if we pose the question of who is responsible for the killings in our own communities, the answer would be that some of our brothers and sisters, not the governor, are responsible for the killings and destruction in our communities. If those who support Nonso and taunt us for not allowing him to burn down the state with his uncouth utterances should come to our communities and summon the locals and ask them the identity of those killing people and destroying property, the answer would be that the governor is not killing anyone. If we stretch this argument further, we would ask why the governor could decide to kill poor villagers and allow his political opponents to roam the streets freely. Recently, Samdadday visited the 27 LGAs, and not a pinch of sand was thrown at him or his entourage. Does it make sense to anyone that while the opponents of the governor roam about, the governor would turn against anonymous, poor folks and begin to kill them?
It is weired the kind of things we believe. Oftentimes, we believe some stories not because they are true but because they were stories told against our perceived enemies. Sooner than later, the scales fall from our eyes, and we are in confusion. But with Nonso’s arrest and the misplaced calls for his "immediate release," a few things now stand out. One of them is that it is now obvious that Nonso was telling lies all along. He was blackmailing the governor, thinking that doing so could get him some money from some opposition leaders or some leaders of the non-state actors. Nonso knew that what he has said about insecurity and governance in Imo are nothing but lies and propaganda. Don't shout at us yet because he has confessed already that he was lying all along but did so just to trend and make money out of it. Nonso is not alone in all of this: the gullible members of the public and haters are to blame as well. Those who thought that lies are to be believed and given the status of truths just because they were told against Governor Hope Uzodimma are the people who led Nonso into the problem he is facing.
Nonso behaved like the stubborn fly. He had been invited several times by the police and the DSS in the past. On all of those occasions, he was released on bail, but he always jumped bail and put his sureties in jeopardy. With his arrest and detention, freeing him has become a major objective to some politicians. This is the reason Ugochinyere would shamelessly impersonate the Imo State Caucus of the House of Representatives. He thinks that the Caucus is a new, bigger platform and that it gives him the highest pedestal to shout at the police and that such a platform could intimidate the police, but he did not know that members of the National Assembly from Imo State are interested in knowing the truth of Nonso’s claims about insecurity in Imo.
Knowing the truth would set us free, and until the truth is unravelled, calls for the release of Nonso are misplaced.
Collins Ughalaa is the Special Adviser (Public Communications) to the Governor.
