Despite the fierce opposition between them and their immediate predecessors, none of the past governors of Imo State, and by extension Southeast geo-political zone and even at the Federal level, has ever treated their predecessors as Hope Uzodimma and Emeka Ihedioha have done in Imo state. None! Would one say that there’s nothing to recover from their predecessor(s), no! Certainly there are but they took the path of peace and tranquility. Is it in Anambra State, for instance, between Ngige and Mbadinuju, Obi and Ngige, Obiano and Obi? In Abia, Kalu and Orji, Orji and Ikpeazu. Is it in Ebonyi, Egwu and Elechi, Elechi and Umahi; in Enugu, between Nnamani and Chime, Chime and Ugwuanyi. In Imo, between Udenwa and Ohakim, and Ohakim and Okorocha. Certainly none. All these men had fierce scores to settle with their predecessors but they let peace to reign because of the general interest of their respective states, to offer them good governance and improve their wellbeing.

Even at the federal level, despite the extreme actions of provocation from Obasanjo, Yar’Adua never took him to the cliffhanger, just to ridicule him and earn cheap publicity. Everyone saw how Jonathan struggled to get to power through the doctrine of necessity in the first instance, yet he never looked the way of the family of his immediate predecessor who stoutly stood against him and the seat.

Now to Buhari and Obasanjo; it’s no longer news that Obasanjo did everything and is still doing to see Buhari vacate the seat, yet the provocation and tantrums have not in any way pushed President Buhari to take to public show of shame against Obasanjo. Of course, he is responsible man with firm strength of character and would not behave that way.

Would anyone say he was not away of all the resistance Ohakim put in the way against Okorocha in 2011, remember the case of IKIRI and the arrest/prosecution of Eze Madumere then for instance, but when Okorocha eventually became governor he ignored the things Ohakim did to him because vendetta is never a virtue. Or would someone rightly claim that there is nothing to recover?

It’s only a bad workman that quarrels with his tools. If Hope Uzodimma is mindful of how he became governor overnight and feels the shame of being derisively called “Supreme Court governor” he would have focused on provision of good governance by doing such things that would improve the wellbeing of the people of the state, improving the poor state of the social infrastructure, such as roads, electricity, potable water, affordable houses, health facilities, education, security, food, commerce, etc, to wipe off that unpalatable stigma or tar. Obviously from the way he’s carrying out he doesn’t term to have any positive thing to offer in these mentioned areas, hence his adoption of the tactics of government of brutality, terror and intimidation. Few weeks ago it was the turn of the leadership of the workers in the state that he extended his proclivity of intoxicated intimidation to. He went and whimsically changed the leadership of the trade unions in the state, just to cow down the workers. Shortly thereafter it became the turn of Okorocha and his family and associates.

People should remember the popular maxim by Rev. Martin Niemoller, that “First, they came for the socialists and I did not speak up because I’m not a socialist... And then they came for me and there’s nobody to speak up for me”. One year has gone and Hope’s only achievement is dealing with Okorocha and Labour and earning applause from cheer masters. I remember Sullivan Chime telling us in 2007 during an interactive session with him that “Let my work speak for me” and it came to pass. His work still speaks for him, six years after he left office. Ngige did same in Anambra State. Obi did too. Their good works still speak for them, several years after leaving office. Would Hope say a similar thing, only posterity would tell. Hope should go to work and stop deploying the diversionary tactics of playing to the gallery and being cheered by a section of the society who may not understand his real motives. It’s obvious that he has nothing worthy to offer the state, and one may not blame him because his allegiance is to the judiciary channel through which he became governor without the proper will of the people who only woke up one morning to see that their governor had been written out and one desperate chap forwarded to them by a superior court in Abuja. No one with the popular mandate of the people would leave real governance and prefer to chase shadows. When other governors would be counting their achievements to their people in terms real development projects and activities, Hope would be brandishing dealing with Okorocha and family as his own achievements for his state. A particular priest would in a sarcastic manner say, ‘oma ka’ (It is good). The Okorocha that has become a project that he is executing has so many tangible credits in his name, take it or leave it. His only vilification by his traducers is throwing his weight on his son-in-law to be governor, hurting the vociferous Imo west axis, otherwise his positive legacies still endure today. We may have forgotten the incontrovertible free education programmes (from primary to tertiary schools in the state), the many fresh internal roads he constructed in Owerri city to open the city to the outside world, the rehabilitation of the Sam Mbakwe Airport, expansion of the major roads or streets in Owerri, etc. You may quarrel with the durability of some of them but they are there today and being used by the public.

Hope already has a problem of unpopularity, compounded by the recent case of invasion of Orlu, and the only method to shift attention from him is to play the tune which appeals to the vociferous few by taking on Rochas their enemy, and the tactics of brigandry and intimidation seem to be working for him. After his time as governor his successor will surely come for him in a cruel, brutal and rascally manner to sustain what he has vengefully introduced in the state.

If there are any genuine assets to be recovered, I think the process of rule of law in going about it ought to have applied without bitterness and rancour and making unnecessary fun of it and turning the state into fiefdom, by being rascally about it and making it a cruel bloody affair as if in a jungle. President Muhammadu Buhari is making recoveries without war and wrestling. Vendetta is not maturity but evil. Just as the Ugly in the popular film, ‘The Good, The Bad, The Ugly’ told The Bad, “If you want to shoot, don’t talk”, if governor Hope Uzodinma genuinely wants to recover any diverted assets of the state, he should go about it lawfully and not in a crude, servile manner and unlawful way of brigandry.

•Sir Abuchi Anueyiagu is a veteran journalist, PR practitioner and public affairs analyst.

Update news