THAT ATTEMPTED COUP IN ABIA STATE

THAT ATTEMPTED COUP IN ABIA STATE

Sam Hart

There is no point mincing words. We will call what transpired in Abia State yesterday, June 30, 2016 what it is exactly – an attempted civilian Coup-de-etat.

Or how else do you explain a phenomenon where a Certificate of Return is issued to a private citizen to go and take over as Governor of a State when there is a sitting Governor presiding over the affairs of the State? 

Granted that Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court gave a judgment declaring Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah as the purported rightful Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2015 Governorship elections in Abia State, is the highest court in Nigeria the Federal High Court? What happened to the Court of Appeal? Don’t we have a Supreme Court again?

Is it not a thing of amazement that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under Professor Mahmoud Yakubu that has acquired a reputation for inability to conclude any election no matter how simple, is now suddenly a bastion of efficiency rushing to carry out a court order?!

Watching INEC National Commissioner in charge of the South East, Amb. Lawrence Nwuruku sweat, vibrate, fidget and labour on Channels Television to justify the Certificate of Return they issued to Uche Ogah, it would be glaring to all that there is more to the action they took than meets the eye.

Amb. Nwuruku said that INEC got an order to immediately issue a Certificate of Return to Uche Ogah based on the Federal High Court Ruling which led to the action they took. No mention was made of the Notice of Appeal filed by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and the accompanying injunction stopping anyone from acting on the Federal High Court order pending the determination of the Appeal. It has since emerged that the Notice of Appeal and Stay of Execution was received at INEC Legal Department by a Salisu Ibrahim by 12:50pm on the 29^th of June. Why then proceed to issue Ogah with Certificate of Return on the 30^th? Who’s script are they acting? 

Even non-lawyers and lay men are aware that there are legal and judicial processes of determining a matter. That an attempt was made on the office of the Governor calls for concern as it then means that any individual with means can conspire to overthrow a sitting Government.

Mention has been made of the involvement of Abuja in this matter, mention also has been made of Bourdillon but for now, those mentions can only be left where they are mentioned. The implications of any truth to those mentions are better left unimagined.

Abia is one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria. What is the end-game of the current attempt to plunge the state into anarchy and lawlessness? Are contiguous states immune from a constitutional crisis in Abia State? Is Abuja immune? When you start a fire, there is no telling where the fire will spread to. Let us be careful of setting a dangerous precedent that will have grave implications for our fledgling democracy.

Everyone thought that with the judgment of the Supreme Court affirming Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as Governor of Abia State, the question of the rightful Governor of Abia State had been put to rest but alas, there is no telling the length of mischief a desperate mind can conjure.

The question then becomes why always Abia? Every other state in Nigeria has concluded electoral litigations and moved on with Governance. Why should the case of Abia State always linger? Why are our elites this way?

In neighbouring Anambra State, virtually all those who opposed the emergence of Chief Willie Obiano as Governor are all working one way or another to help develop the State. Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah was candidate of the Labour Party in the same election that produced Willie Obiano, today, he is the biggest sports philanthropist in the State and has emerged the Chairman of the State Football Association spending huge personal resources to develop the state’s sporting industry. No week goes by without a photograph in the papers of Peter Obi making one donation or the other to schools, churches and associations. What about Dr. Cosmas Maduka of Coscharis? Prince Arthur Eze, etc. they are all complementing the efforts of government in the development of the State.

In Abia State, the story is different. The business and political elites will rather work at cross purposes with the Government and sabotage developmental efforts than work for the betterment of the State.

Everybody is in agreement that Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu is on the right track with the development of Abia State. From infrastructural development to skill acquisition programme for youths to free meals for school pupils, it has been one commendation or the other.

Who then will be the greatest loser in the current political uncertainty playing out in Abia State? The Governor is only but human. No matter how strong he tries to be as a person, he is no doubt affected by what is going on. Contractors and development partners will slow down their commitment to projects in the state and there will be general anxiety.

The one thing I am sure of is that this fight is not even for Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. The residents of Kamalu Street, Ukaegbu Road, Umuola Road, Ehere Road, Umuocham Road, Dr. Chima Nwafor Road, Oomne Drive, Owerri Road, Echefu Street, ENUC Road, Hospital Road, Jubilee Road, St. Michaels Road, Azikiwe Road, East Road, Park Road, School Road, Pound Road, Okwunka Road, Cameroun Road, Queens Road, Owerrinta Road, Kaduna Street, Abam Road, Awolowo Street, Umuwaya Road, Road II, Federal Low-Cost Housing Estate, Niger Road, Uwalaka Street, Factory Road, Okon-Aku, Imo-NdiNkpa, Abiriba, Nkporo, etc and indeed, the other beneficiaries of the numerous projects Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has been able to put in place within just a year in office with minimal resources will rise up and speak for him.

Most importantly, anybody that tries to sow strife and anarchy in Abia State will reap the attendant consequences. Those who believe their desperation and inordinate ambition supersedes the peace of the state will get what is coming to them.

The Lord shall fight this battle and we shall hold our peace.

Go tell it to all that care to listen; Okezie Victor Chibuikem Ikpeazu is Governor of Abia State until 2023 by the grace of God. Surely they shall gather against him but one by one, they shall all scatter.

Obugi ya ji onweya. Amara Chukwu ji ya aka. Onye na nwa ya na anwa na efu.

This too shall pass.

Peace.

Sam Hart

MR. PRESIDENT, WE ARE NOT FEELING THIS CHANGE

March 22, 2016

His Excellency

Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR

President, C-in-C of the Armed Forces

Federal Republic of Nigeria

State House – Abuja

MR. PRESIDENT, WE ARE NOT FEELING THIS CHANGE

Greetings Mr. President with best regards of the day.

I was prompted to write this letter to you after reading the one written to you by my brother and friend Japhet Omojuwa. It was the inimitable Prof. Chinua Achebe that said that if you do not agree with what someone else has written, then you should write your own. Japhet did not comprehensively speak for me in his letter so I have decided to write my on letter to you.

A caveat sir; this is going to be a frank letter. I will spare you the accolades and commendations. I have a feeling that you are getting a bit too much of them which is why we are where we are. I am going to be as candid as I can be while striving to remain deferential and respectful in accordance with the high office you occupy.

That been said, permit me to go straight to the subject matter of this missive.

POWER COCOON

Mr. President, I am afraid that you have gotten to power and have been so swept up in the cocoon and bubble at the Villa that you have forgotten the people that put you there in the first place. Your appeal has always be the fact that there are people willing to unconditionally stake all they have on the line for you but your attitude since you assumed office has been to display an almost disdainful neglect of your primary constituency. You have come across in recent times as aloof, irritable and impatient with your people. You do not bother to talk to us and when you do, preferably to a foreign news medium during one of your numerous trips abroad, it is always with an air of someone far removed from the daily realities of the people he is governing.

Mr. President, what was that full ceremonial welcome at the Abuja airport complete with a colourful Scottish guard of honour and red carpet all about? In the midst of all the troubles we are daily facing, someone around you thought that that was okay and you basked in it all without a trace of embarrassment? I wager that the old Muhammadu Buhari who was in touch with his loyal faithfuls would not have condoned that charade for whatever it was worth but this new one is so far removed from us that he believed it was okay. Sad. We are watching.

STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS

Mr. President, permit me to quote American President Barack Obama during his trip to Ghana: “Africa does not need strong men, it needs strong institutions.” Sadly, Mr. President, you have displayed all the trappings of an African strong man who wants to be held over and above the institutions in his country. So far, this presidency has been all about you. Why have you been issuing directives to institutions of state to carry out their statutory functions? Why are you directing EFCC to arrest so so and so? Why do you insist at every interview that CBN will not devalue the Naira? Would it not be better to strengthen these institutions and encourage them to carry out their statutory functions without executive interference? Is there no organic process for these bodies to carry out their functions without the need for a Presidential directive? Mr. President, do us a favour, step back and allow these organs of government perform their functions. Thank you.

WAR ON CORRUPTION

Mr. President, you have not left anyone in doubt about your desire to fight corruption. Indeed, this has been your strongest badge of honour till date. You are indeed fighting corruption but the method leaves a lot to be desired. We are back to the days of elaborate media trials and all noise and zero substance. Mr. President, we have seen this before. It usually does not lead to convictions. After the media cacophony, because time was not devoted to diligent investigation and prosecution, there is usually not enough evidence to convict the accused and they end up walking or the trial takes forever. Would it not be better to gather all the facts and put together a water-tight case before approaching the courts rather than this current tactics of leaking tidbits of on-going investigations to the press and creating a media storm that may not hold water at the end of the day? The other day, it was your official twitter handle tweeting allegations against Col. Sambo Dasuki. How did it get to that level?

Again Mr. President, this is not about you. This is about Nigeria and Nigeria is bigger than you. Kindly ensure that this war on corruption is fought procedurally so that its effect can permeate the system and ensure that never again shall we return to the days of the locust. Already, the initial Buhari fear is waning. Masu gudu sun bari gudu. They have seen that it is all bluster and little depth so they have returned to their old ways. Mr. President, the goats are still very much in the barn and they are having a fill.

BUHARINOMICS

Mr. President, your economic policies are difficult to pin-point. Nigeria is no longer the premier investment destination and things are really difficult. In certain decisions you have taken relative to economic policies, it is as if you are engaged in the Criminalisation of enterprise. From the Forex regime to economic policies, it has been one befuddling confusion after another. Surely, we can do better than this. And while we are on this topic, it is no longer expedient to blame Goodluck Jonathan for everything wrong with Nigeria. You have been in charge for 10 months sir. Start showing us your own workings and stop blaming others.

OSTENTATIOUS GOVERNMENT

Mr. President, under your watch, we are poor yet we are acting rich. I am hard-pressed to find justification for your retention of the full Presidential Air Fleet 10 Months into your administration. Your greatest personal attribute is your frugality and your disdain for ostentation but it sadly has not reflected in your Presidency. I know you have heard of the Magufuli effect in Tanzania. Where then is the Buhari effect in Nigeria? Where is the cut-back on wastages? Where is the attitudinal adjustment to our economic realities? Some of the provisions in the 2016 budget make it difficult to take this change serious. Not just you but your Ministers are living large. Upon their inauguration, a statement was issued that Ministers will only move with two cars. We all applauded but alas, we did too early. That was a hoax. Your Ministers drive by in Abuja daily in convoys of upwards of 7 cars complete with Pilot and Escort vehicles. Where is the change?

SOCIAL REALITIES
Mr. President, let me make this as clear as possible: There is suffering in the land and I do not see any urgency on your part to fix this. From the difficulty in getting fuel to worsening power situation and so on, Nigerians are groaning.

Your Ministers have been largely ghost workers since their inauguration. If it was a private company with 6-month probationary perform-or-be-sacked policy, they would all be gone because there is no sign of their impact after 6 months of their appointments.

What we are getting daily is you and your party denying promises that were made to us during the campaigns or waiving them aside like unrealistic demands of truculent children. Incidentally, they were not demands, they were promises freely made by you and your party to Nigerians as benefits of change from the former party to your party. Now that you have been elected, you are distancing yourself from those promises. We are observing. You will need our votes again.

CONCLUSION
Mr. President, this is the truth and perhaps the most important message in this letter: You are losing your most ardent supporters. Those who used to vociferously defend you all over the place are not so bothered anymore. They either keep quiet when you are being castigated or worse, join the complainants. Granted that you have good intentions for Nigeria but the truth remains that intentions are not enough. Ability must match intentions and at the moment, there is a disconnect between your good intentions and the demonstrated ability to implement them. There is something that your political advisers failed to tell you in the euphoria of your electoral victory last year. Granted that a lot of people voted for you as a person but there is yet an army who voted not necessarily for you but AGAINST the status quo obtainable at the time due to disappointment with the way things were. Those ones are independent thinkers and they are not beholden to your party or your persona and trust me, they are in the majority.

This is no longer about Jonathan supporters and Buhari supporters. This is about Nigeria and the way forward. I am involved. You are my President until at least 2019 and you are accountable to me. I write you this out of a sense of patriotic obligation in the hope that you will take the contents to heart and make the necessary adjustments. I do need you to succeed. I need Nigeria to be great for my children and I. I trust you to do the needful failing which, 2019 is not far away. We will meet at the polling booth.

Regards sir.

Sam Hart

hartng@gmail.com