Abia PDP primaries ruse (1)

The way some journalists defend the indefensible amazes me.
How can anyone, apart from the cheerleaders of the outgoing
governor of Abia State, Theodore Ahamefula Orji, in clear
conscience and God’s fear, declare that last month’s prima­
ries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State was
free and fair and ultimately “successful”? If anyone is looking
for governmental rehabilitation, the public space should not be
desecrated in pursuit of such selfish goals in very
unprofessional and deceitful way, too!
Writing in THISDAY of December 22, 2014, a former Special
Assistant on Media to Gov. Orji who was kicked out of service
by Ochendo a long time ago, Kingsley Emereuwa, lousily
declared that “the successful outcome of the Abia State Peo­
ples Democratic Party primaries has disappointed those who
predicted otherwise” without giving readers the conspectus of
“success”. Nothing can be as insensitive as this. So, because
the governor was aided and abetted by the PDP to push
through his vaulting plot to foist a stooge on the state as his
successor translates to “successful outcome and
disappointment for the opposition.” It is a tragedy that those
who should watch the society and keep public functionaries on
their toes are the ones tacitly conniving with cursed politicians
and endorsing electoral fraud because of messy porridge and
blood money used for sleazy transactions.
Who in Abia State (and, indeed, Nigeria) does not know that
the process that threw up Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as the PDP gov­
ernorship candidate in the state was a big charade with a char­
latanistic paradigm? It was very clear right from the build-up
that Gov. Orji and his accomplices were hell-bent and
desperate in ensuring that Ikpeazu (Back Justice) emerged the
party’s standard bearer in next month’s election. Only an
apocalypse or rapture would have derailed that sinister move.
Everything imaginable was thrown into that project which was
catalysed by the unwholesome deal between PDP governors
and Abuja. I told people close to me that Ikpeazu, as an
establishment aspirant, was going to represent the ruling
party as its candidate in the state. Whether he will win—which
is akin to evil triumphing over good—is a secondary matter. If
the PDP had allowed democratic tenets to hold sway, Ikpeazu
would most probably not have been shortlisted in the first
place for obvious reasons some of which will be adduced
presently.
There was no doomsday prophecy about the primaries in Abia.
The point that was being foretold was that Gov. Orji’s tenure
as the chief executive of the state from 2007 to this wind-
down era has been nothing to write home about. Therefore, to
now plant someone to perpetuate incompetence, incapacity
and cousinship surrogacy is the concern of most of us in the
oppositional camp. In this kind of matter, you need to look
beyond the circumference of issues and extrapolate to the
bigger picture of the next four years in the first instance. This
is the point that needs to be understood by government pikins
who cannot look beyond their noses. The issue is not just
about primaries, but what calibre of person comes on board.
In a fair and free contest, this essence would have been taken
care of by candidacies. But, in the unfortunate circumstance
that we have found ourselves, the basis for that no longer
exists. Barren analysts should understand the trajectory of
interventions, fears and suspicions before making beggarly
pontifications and harebrained conclusions.
The illusion that anyone who gets the PDP ticket in Abia State
automatically becomes the next governor must be stupefying
by now. In 2007, the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA)
under the astute leadership of its progenitor and former
governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, defeated the PDP in
Abia and Imo states at a time when there was even a
measure of good governance in both states on the PDP
platform. Now that the people are regretting returning to the
PDP because of Gov. Orji’s disastrous leadership, it would be
easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for
a any (not just Ikpeazu) PDP candidate to win in Abia in
2015! The outlandish and shameless rigging that
characterized the 2011 re-run governorship poll in the state
cannot be contemplated by any sane fellow now let alone
attempting any militarization of elections or other forms of
electoral theft. The chemistry of charged atmosphere and
awareness currently is so tense that it would be suicidal for
any bloke in the corridors of power to manipulate anything.
Let’s take just one stupidity from Emereuwa before we round
off the first leg of this two-part contribution: “Many paid com­
mentators and a section of the media (a veiled and cowardly
reference to this medium) for some parochial interests were
busy insulting their readers’ reasoning by tales of impending
implosion in the state chapter of the party….” Little minds
must be little minds just like pigs! People are talking of Abia
State and who will redeem it after this locust time round and
one sickening clown is talking of a chapter of the PDP! This
perpetually idiotic rehash about “paid commentators” and their
“paymaster” (in apparent imbecilic reference to Dr. Kalu and
his media team) by all serving or past crumb eaters under
Gov. Orji’s table is not just ludicrous but crazy. Which gov­
ernor in this country indulges in media mercantilism than Gov.
T. A. Orji? The propagandistic (media) budget of Abia State
government since 2007 is more than enough to reconstruct
the whole of Aba and Umuahia roads!
Yet, none of them is safe at any speed! Between Dr. Kalu and
Gov. Orji (a joint owner of Lagos-based Next weekly pub­
lication and a few online portals and provincial rags in and
around Umuahia specifically for the futile demystification and
impossible humiliation of his benefactor), who is the greater
media “paymaster”? Even non-Abians know of Ochendo’s
unparalleled disinformation merchandise and media insurgency
with me as a celebrated scapegoat! Between those of us in
The Sun employ and unpaid (eh?) hacks like Kingsley
Emereuwa/his co-travellers in Lagos and Umuahia, who are
serving the society better? We shall soon know!
Government apologists should look for noble engagements—
they should not dissipate energy on the shambolic Abia PDP
primaries. I will be embarrassingly disappointed if we (Abians)
do not ensure that Back Justice does not come to the front
burner!