By Lancelot Obiaku
Any resident of Imo State who takes Mr. Chike Okafor for what he says he is needs to re-examine himself. Among the many contradictions in his recently published ill-fated article dedicated to singing the praises of Hope Uzodimma and sacrilegiously using God's name to justify the Omuma man's dubious rise to power as Governor of the State, Chike at least managed to speak one truth. He acknowledged that Imo is populated by educated men and women who are critical thinkers. But unfortunately for Chike, all Imo sons and daughters who think critically will not take him seriously judging by his well-documented hypocrisy. They know that behind his pious facade lies a duplicitous and dishonest opportunist who would stoop to the lowest levels of sycophancy, even as a Deacon, to curry favor with the political elite.
Ideally, as a self-proclaimed renowned banker and 'Deacon', it was expected that he would return to the banking industry or devote his time to preaching from the pulpit, given that he was disgraced at the polls by his constituents in the last election. However, he appears to have developed a taste for power and the inexplicable wealth that accompanies it. Consequently, he is willing to go to great lengths, including becoming an emergency “alleluia boy”, to remain relevant and curry favor with Uzodimma.
It is instructive to note that Chike was only a Bank Manager at an Owerri branch of Zenith Bank before he was appointed Finance Commissioner of the state and he instantly became stupendously wealthy within months to contest for the House Of Representatives for Okigwe South in 2015. He astounded his opponents with his financial prowess, leading some to speculate that he had access to a dollar-printing machine. To this day, some maintain that he secured his position in the National Assembly through financial means, making him the sole APC National Assembly member in the state at the time.
In his lengthy yet vacuous composition, Deacon Okafor engaged in blasphemy against God. It is incumbent upon us, at this juncture, to question his Christianity, salvation, and even his ordination as a deacon. Such a desperate individual would not hesitate to embrace any religion that condones a lack of conscience as a prerequisite for membership. Okafor posits that God is the progenitor of criminality, a notion that is both preposterous and offensive. He seeks to persuade the people of Imo that it is God's will for a candidate to fabricate election results from the comfort of his bedroom and then manipulate the judiciary to declare him the winner of an election in which he placed fourth. This is anathema to the principles of justice and fairness. Furthermore, Okafor contends that it is equitable for the Orlu zone to govern Imo for twenty-four out of twenty-eight years since the return of democracy in Nigeria. His fellow congregants should remind him that God is not the author of confusion, as Okafor erroneously portrays Him to be.
Interestingly, Okafor, who advocates for the acceptance of Uzodimma's ascension to power as the divine will of God, paradoxically resorted to legal action to contest the outcome of the February 2023 election, in which he was soundly defeated. One may question why he did not embrace the notion that the people's rejection of his third-term bid through the ballot was also a manifestation of God's will, in the interest of justice and fairness. At least, it is said that the voice of the people is the voice of God and the wish of the people through the ballot is the easiest way to decipher the mind of God in an electoral process.
When Chike eulogized Uzodimma on Sunday morning and in the evening, the tribunal sacked the winner of the Okigwe South House of Reps election and declared him (Chike) winner, basing its judgment on a pre-election issue which Chike, as the Supreme Court had earlier ruled, ordinarily shouldn't have business under the law meddling with, it became clear where he was coming from. The hurriedly produced piece ridden with kindergarten grammatical errors was more or less a "thank you" from Chike to Uzodimma for whatever role the Governor must have played in getting him a favorable judgment at the court. In one breath, Chike posits that fairness and justice are of God, in another, he drops pointers that indeed his "justice" could be bought and not anywhere divine.
The judgment of the tribunal which many have termed a travesty of justice was by all indications pre-planned. The people stopped Chike and his band of godfathers including Governor Uzodimma through the ballot, and in their tradition, their last resort is an attempt to stop the people through the court. To buttress this fact, in a leaked conversation on Facebook messenger, Chike Okafor told one Chijioke Anyakamnaele, a constituent who opposed his third-term agenda that the wish of the electorate didn't matter to him. He predicted victory for himself because he had the support of Tony Chukwu, Cosmos Iwu and other godfathers in the federal constituency. Everyone knows that what such godfathers chiefly do is aid the rigging of an election in favour of their candidates, undermining the will of the people in the process. Chike himself has played such roles for several others severally. Apart from the highly rigged election in 2016 that took the late Benjamin Uwajumogu to the Senate against Athan Achonu, Chike was reportedly seen at Ngor-Okpala in 2022 as part of the APC machinery that subverted the wish of the people in a State Assembly election. What else will he say he went there to do?
It is evident that Chike belongs to the category of individuals who oppress the populace and should be regarded as such. Throughout the years, he has concealed his true identity by cultivating relationships with various media influencers in the State, compensating them with both monetary and non-monetary incentives to conceal his tracks and present him as a sophisticated and genuine leader who has the best interests of the people at heart. Furthermore, he has deceived the Church of God by assuming the role of a deacon. However, he is not the person he purports to be. Fortunately, his true nature is gradually being exposed for all to witness, to the glory of God.
One of the hallmarks of a good leader is keeping his word. Gov. Hope Uzodimma takes the pleasure of promising Imo people every eight months that his administration will conduct local government elections. However, with just four months to go, it has dawned on everyone that it was all deception. Without LGA Chairmen, Uzodimma has received over N210 billion in LGA allocation in 42 months and has not accounted for a penny of it. This Governor also deceived thousands of Imo youths into taking unsolicited loans in the pretense that he was empowering them with start-up grants. Curiously, this is the character Chike is making an effort to project as a messiah. A man renowned for his "festacism" is one who received an endorsement from a supposed man of God. God has indeed tolerated a lot from mortals.
Does it not worry Chike that there are places in the State where he cannot visit no matter how he fortifies himself with security men and equipment? But like Uzodimma, it is safer for him to blame the opposition for the insecurity ravaging the State as much as it will distract the attention of the feeble-minded from the failure of the present administration to safeguard the State. However, despite the Governor's spurious allegations, no opposition element has been convicted. What he has managed to do is target one perceived political foe after another. From Rochas Okorocha to his son-in-law Uche Nwosu, then Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, Hon. Gerald Irona, and most recently, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere.
By his shameful rhetoric, Chike is endorsing Uzodimma's inclination to play politics with insecurity instead of finding a lasting solution to it. He supports the mindless killing of three people in Ugochinyere's abode in Akokwa, including his uncle and two visitors, and the burning of vehicles and houses worth hundreds of millions, in an attack where accusing fingers are pointing towards the Government House after it was alleged that members of the Ebueagu security outfit were the arsonists. Chike's convoy has been attacked by gunmen, perhaps, if Chike had lost a relative or aide to that violent attack, he would have come to grips with the trauma that thousands of Imolites who have lost dear ones in lethal attacks by gunmen have been put through in recent years.
Notwithstanding, it is important to remind Chike Okafor that the End Sars protest has affected not only Imo State, but also several other states in the Southwest, South-South, and Northern regions of Nigeria, where it was more severe and violent. In the Southeast, the protest was particularly intense in Abia and Anambra States. It is possible that if Governor Uzodimma had not neglected his duties and relocated to Abuja immediately after his inauguration, his administration may have been better equipped to address the aftermath of the civil unrest. Nevertheless, Chike should be aware that the people of Imo State are determined to remove Uzodimma from power, and no amount of intimidation or blackmail from him or his associates can prevent this from happening. The people of Imo State are eager to reclaim their state from undemocratic forces and restore its safety, security, and prosperity under the leadership of Senator Samuel Anyanwụ of the People's Democratic Party.
Lancelot Obiaku, the Director-General of Imo PDP New Media Directorate, writes from Owerri.
