The last time I checked, the sitting
governor of Imo State – the Eastern Heartland – Chief Rochas Okorocha had been
compelled to publicly announce who he would like to baptize to take over from
him come 2019 when he would be graciously vacating the revered Douglas House.
The scenario has lingered that it has
succeeded in making both the governor’s protégés and sycophants to take
advantage of it. There is no day that passed, you wouldn’t hear them say to the
governor’s hearing ‘Owelle, show us the man and go to sleep’.
Some of them would gather their
friends and well-wishers and pay the number-one citizen a visit at the
Government House, only for the sole purpose of asking the leader to quickly
disclose who he has ordained to be his successor during the next interregnum
that would take place in the state.
Some would even go extra mile to tell the
governor that they have already selected someone for the position, thereby
urging him to grant his fatherly approval to the nomination. At the end of the
day, the governor would tell them that the time was not ripe for him to make
such anticipated declaration, assuring at the right moment he would gladly do
the needful as expected of him.
Each time I recall the existence of this
set of allies, I can’t help but continue to smile in Latin. I invariably do so
because I truly know that most of them are not for real; because I’m aware that
many of them are up to something funny; because I strongly believe that they
are only interested in their individual interests, and not that of the state;
because I’m not unaware that virtually all is just being dramatic and
sycophantic and nothing more.
Sometimes when I write or talk, people feel I
am cracking mere jokes or just being comic, not knowing that whenever I
appraise facts, I usually present it in form of jokes with a view to easing the
tension that may follow suit. I always make effort not to be vulgar each time I
write or communicate one-on-one with any fellow or group of persons.
This action of countless political
elements in the state has intensely heated the polity. The waves it bears have
the tendency of distracting the governor from concentrating on what is required
of him, which is good governance. Such a circumstance could obstruct so many
ongoing genuine activities of the Rescue Mission Administration. The atmosphere
is so dense that it could make the governor to vacate the Douglas House and
thereafter start operating from Ogboko, his home town.
Nevertheless, it’s imperative to
acknowledge that the joy of every leader or ruler, as may be the case, is to
produce a good successor. And it’s worth noting that every leader would stop at
nothing to ensure that only the person he baptized becomes his successor when
the time comes. It suffices to say that there’s no leader that does not want
the anointed individual from his ‘lineage’ to take over from him. Sure, we all
look forward to having a trustworthy, competent and loyal successor
irrespective of the nature of the position.
If I must tell Gov. Okorocha the
gospel truth, I would say it’s high time he named his prospective successor;
it’s time he disclosed whom he would like to succeed his leadership as the
governor of Imo State. There are various reasons the number-one citizen needs
not observe any further delay towards naming his prospective successor.
One of the reasons is that it would
tremendously help to ease the tension that has been mounted by his so-called
allies. At least, such step would assist in lessening the alarming noises that
have been generated so far as a result of the burning quest to realize who
succeeds the governor come 2019. It would equally help to make these men,
especially the appointees, to focus on their respective political consignments.
Secondly, naming the prospective successor at
this point would enable the governor to thoroughly heal the wounds that would
be incurred afterwards. It’s needless to assert that the moment the name of the
awaited man of the moment is eventually disclosed, some persons would be
pleased whereas some other members will definitely feel shortchanged or
aggrieved.
So, if the governor could name the person on
time, it would give him enormous opportunity to bring back those who would
leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) owing to grievances; it would give
him the chance to make some amends where need be; it would give him enough
space to console the wounded hearts.
The factual point remains that, there’s
no body Owelle would project that wouldn’t make some members to be aggrieved.
In other words, the moment a name is mentioned by the Ogboko-born celebrity,
factions will surely be created among the teeming members of the ruling party
(APC). The APC is already reportedly divided in the state let alone when the
pronouncement is finally made. This is the reason the man at the top needs to
name the anointed person right now; the earlier, the better.
This is conspicuously the ripe time
the number-one citizen needs to listen to strategists towards ensuring that the
needful is carried out at the apt time. Against this backdrop, he must be ready
to extend hand of fellowship to the cognoscenti if he truly wants to excel in
his political mission with a view to ushering in his vision. So, at this point,
he ought not to rely only on his political advisers, because there’s a tendency
that they might be rendering their services for the sole aim of safeguarding
their individual interests.
Hence,
it’s needless to reiterate that as I call on the governor to ‘show us the man’
right now, he must be very mindful on the strategy he deploys toward fulfilling
the request. Most importantly, if he truly intends to remain the overall leader
of the APC in the Eastern Heartland, he must ensure that he doesn’t get carried
away by his personal interest as regards pronouncing the anointed man. Think
about it!
Comrade Fred Doc Nwaozor
Executive Director, Docfred Resource Hub (DRH) - Owerri_____________________________
Follow me: @mediambassador
No comments:
Post a Comment