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Abia: When The Aggressor Decides To Forgive The Victim – By Chigozie Onyeukwu Ubani

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Saturday, May 9th 2016, recorded yet another “executive’’ sermon. This one bothering on forgiveness of sins as delivered by the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu at the Seventh day Adventist Church, Asata, Enugu state, where he claimed to have forgiven the APGA governorship candidate,  Dr. Alex Otti for contesting the 2015 election against him. This compelled me to once again look into the dictionary for the word“Forgiveness’’.

According to Wikipedia, it “is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, lets go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well”. Then we must be patient to establish the aggressor, the victim and who needs forgiveness.

So, I went on to searched my files, media records and several public spaces for any relevant information relating to any offence or misgivings reported by Dr. Ikpeazu and associates against Dr. Otti but couldn’t find any. At a point, in the course of writing this piece, I put a call across to Dr Alex Otti, to ask some questions, in case I don’t know all that transpired within the period.

His response reads thus; “…apart from contesting elections, going through the tribunal, the appeal and up to the Supreme Court to seek redress over glaring acts of rigging and victimization, I don’t have anything personal with or against Okezie Ikpeazu. I thank God that people like you, Chigozie, were part of the decision making organs and the whole processes of my strategy, campaigns, litigations and saw it all. I leave him to his conscience and posterity’’ As I dropped the call, I began to wonder again the angle governance is headed in our dear state, Abia.

From my assessment, Dr. Ikpeazu is cracking under intense pressure. His Godfathers are richer than the state and have sold him a dummy. His every move is being monitored by some viscous power blocs. To worsen his case, his core team is incapable of providing him the required arsenal to unleash an early, sustainable battle for liberation. Mindful of the fact that a similar battle cost this same State so much in between 2007 to 2012. We are at it again and our governor may misplace his anger if necessary support continues to elude him. Dr. Ikpeazu is on hot seat, a seat presumably hotter that a burning furnace and I will attempt to explain this below.

Abia State has been unlucky with governance since her creation. Like we all know, one party, though with transmuting tendencies and metamorphosing elements, has been in charge since 1999, dribbling both the electorate and populace into a near state of docility. Making us to believe they can zone and un-zone offices. Rig and un-rig elections with mind boggling figures. Rule and misrule in fragrant disregard for the constitution. Allocate and reallocate all in a bid to conquer and squander our resources at will; giving handouts to whoever they deem loyal in their bid to entrench interests and perpetuate their protégés in office.

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Within those locust years everyone was cowed to a point of subservience; forced to ‘’humbly’’ wait to be ”anointed” or ‘’appointed’’ into offices as it pleased the conquistador-in-chief. Dr Ikpeazu while delivering his executive sermon at the Seventh Day Adventist Church,  Asata, Enugu acknowledged that he was once forced to abandon his ambition to contest the chairmanship position of Obingwa local government area. Rather, in what seemed humiliating, he was ”ordered” to lead the campaign for his subordinate who was ”anointed” by then Czar to run for the same office. So, Dr. Ikpeazu is used to conforming to the dictates of the emperors. The spirit of aspiration, diligent industry, goal-getting and excellence all died within these years. Every loyal party member abandoned his/her job, formed or joined one support group or the other. Praise-singing, gossiping and sycophancy reached high heavens.

It will also be recalled that Dr. Ikpeazu’s predecessor was ”anointed” and sworn in as governor from an EFCC detention centre, a few days before the official handover date to do nothing else in state house but to ‘cover tracks’. In so doing, he caused the death of state institutions, including other arms and tiers of government. The rest, they say, is now history but Abia State, afterwards went down financially and morally bankrupt, leading to a scandalous infrastructural and human capital deficit.

Former governor, Theodore Orji swarmed from one troubled ocean to another wilderness. With no developmental blueprint, action strategy nor creative capacity to initiate any master plan, he ran Abia State like a private estate and consequently, ran it aground.  Acting like the proverbial bull in a china shop, many Abians who saw the need to effect change, however, adopted silence as a strategy to ease him out of office and ensure they got ‘’anointed’’ to succeed him.

Dr. Otti’s entry into the 2015 governorship election exponentially raised the bar, altered the equation, ruffled feathers and caused some adrenaline to rise. His adversaries battled to reduce issues of debate to the basement. They brought both the ridiculous and the mundane to the centre stage. Clannish bigotry, sub – ethnic discrimination and victimization magnified his opponents weaknesses and deficiencies.  Threats and attempts at his life and his close associates became imminently sustained and remained unabating. His convoy was attacked in Ikwuano Umuahia and some people were injured. His guest house in Abuja was attacked and one of his police orderlies killed. Coffins and other fetish materials have been displayed by vagabonds who worked hard to impress their benefactor, yet Dr. Otti remained resolute and has not cursed anyone.  So, I find it ironical to see the aggressor forgiving the victim.

Dr. Otti’s “sin” is that he contested the same governorship seat at the same time Dr.Ikpeazu was ‘’anointed’’ by the principalities and powers of Abia State. Dr. Otti committed further ‘’sin’’ by uncovering the rigging and bribing methods of the kingmakers and made such public. His ‘’sins’’ were compounded when he refused to be cowed or persuaded by traditional and religious leaders to back down and take some settlement as has been the practice with many other pretending contenders in the previous elections.

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Dr. Otti, ‘’the sinner’’, went to the tribunal to challenge and expose fraud. He ‘’lost’’ at the lower Tribunal and proceeded to commit more atrocious ‘’sins’’ by winning at the Appeal Tribunal on Dec 31st 2015. Oh, that judgment caused ramblings that rumbled state treasury and from that day, he was condemned by Abia City Fathers whose authority and meal ticket was being viciously challenged for the very first time. Oh Lord, have mercy. Dr Alex Otti, ‘’sinned’’ against Dr. Ikpeazu for refusing to be provoked to the point of deploying arsonists and vandals in unleashing violence and mayhem in the state. Dr. Otti, ‘’sinned’’ further for taking to the path of honour by going to court to seek a costly yet, protracted redress that challenged the ruling party, exposed the laxities that exist within our electoral system, the legislature and even our entire judicial system. Dr Otti ‘’sinned’’ for raising the consciousness of every Abia citizen to ask questions and demand accountability. But this ‘’sinner’’ has not only broadened our socio-political horizon, butreturned Abia State to the national map. A feat PDP cartographer failed to achieve in 16 years. Our situation requires a determined, stubborn personality with a steel-pulse and near lethal disposition to confront the deities and recover stolen funds for the development of the state. Regrettably, doing so is so herculean, contrary to the terms of ‘’anointment’’ and suicidal to this administration hence, this frustration. Unfortunately too, there are no other ways out of this imbroglio.

Dr Ikpeazu, no doubt, needs help but must wholly and sincerely apologize for the sins his benefactors and their overzealous cheerleaders committed against Dr. Otti in a desperate bid to make him governor. Only then can true forgiveness occur to whom its due and sustainable healing be effected in the State.

In the meantime, I urge Your Excellency, Sir, to overhaul your team as many are feeble and not worthy. Face governance and stop taking to preaching sermons in different churches. Attend the church as required by your inner soul and not as compelled by social and political pressure. Get your media aides to stop publicizing your spiritual excursions as it makes mockery of the real purpose of doing so. I respectfully, sir, implore you to kindly draw some profound lessons from the experience of former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan who, apparently overwhelmed by the challenges facing his administration, failed to take hard decisions but chose to attend all prayer meetings and pilgrimages of all religious denominations.

Impactful governance is serious business, not the same as delivering sermons in churches.

Ubani, a human rights activist, wrote in from Aba.

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