In today’s Imo politics, the people can no longer be deceived by political intrigues of those who have held the progress of the state by the jugular for some time now.

The present Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Sir Chukwuemeka Nkem Ihedioha, is the representative for Aboh Mbaise/Ngor-Okpala Federal Constituency in the nation’s Green Chamber. He has been there since the year 2003. He hails from Mbutu in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A. of Imo State and was the Chief Whip in the last National Assembly.

Interestingly, unfolding events show that he has been making preparations to launch himself into the Imo governorship contest come 2015. Be that as it may, it is high time people started analysing the antecedents of those who present themselves for leadership. This must be done with wisdom and without sentiments or bias.

A little voyage into the antecedents of Hon. Ihedioha presents him as an insincere politician especially when it comes to keeping agreements. First of all, before his election to represent Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency, there was an accord between the people of Aboh Mbaise and Ngor-Okpala for rotational representation between the two local government areas. It was agreed that each of the two areas would be producing a representative per tenure. Accordingly, Ngor-Okpala produced the representative for the constituency in 1999 and in 2003.

This representative stepped down as agreed. Emeka Ihedioha stepped in in 2003 but in 2007 he broke this gentleman’s agreement and has been maliciously rigging himself back to the Green Chamber against the wish of the people of that federal constituency and also to the detriment of Ngor-Okpala people. It is believed that he uses places like Lorji, Amuzu Uvuru, etc., to inflate votes that have always seen him back to the National Assembly in a ‘grand style’. All through his political life, he has been associated with rigging. Election riggers are enemies of the people. Now that the culture of rigging has been crucified by Imo people in 2011, the people of the state must also make sure that people like Ihedioha are finally sent out of the political turf of the state.

Secondly, during the election of the principal officers in the present country’s House of Representatives, Ihedioha’s party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had an agreement on the geopolitical zones that the officers would emerge from. Unfortunately, Ihedioha led the gang that breached this arrangement with impunity, betrayal and connived against his party and unscrupulously thwarted the whole arrangement. Today, the PDP sees him as an untrustworthy fellow. And such a betrayer wants to rule Imo?

Next is that this supposed knight of the Anglican Church has always been linked to most of the financial controversies that have rocked the nation’s House of Representatives. He was accused of involvement in the embezzlement of N150 million given to him to organise the 2010 Kano Retreat for Members of the House of Representatives and the celebration of the 10th Year of Democracy. He was also fingered in the alleged financial crime that saw the former House of Reps. Speaker Dimeji Bankole being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He was also mentioned in the current bribery scandal involving Hon. Farouk Lawan. And this man wants to rule Imo!

In another vein, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha is known as a perfectionist in pulling down public office holders especially the ones from Imo State. In 2007, he plotted for the removal of his brother legislator Bethel Amadi as the Chief Whip and took over his post. He also influenced the suspension of his fellow Mbaise brother and former House of Reps colleague Hon. Independence Ogunenwe who represented Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency for trying to fight corruption in the Green Chamber.

Ihedioha equally connived with the disgraced ex-Governor Ikedi Ohakim to destroy the political career of Ohakim’s deputy, Dr. Ada Okwuonu. He was among those who forced the poor woman to resign before the end of her tenure. When that one did not work, he wickedly brought Prof. Viola Onwuliri to replace Okwuonu as Ohakim’s running mate in the 2011 Imo governorship election. This is said to be one of the things that made Ohakim to fail in that election. Not yet done, Emeka further schemed Dr. Okwuonu, who is her wife’s sister, out of being a minister. He has been publicly declaring that he and Ohakim acted that evil script in Aso Rock against Okwuonu. Ihedioha must have done all of the above against Okwuonu probably because Okwuonu’s humane nature seems to run contrary to his wicked political ideology. Currently, he is plotting how to ruin the political career of another of his sisters, Senator Chris Anyanwu, the senator for Owerri Zone. And this man wants to rule Imo!

Sometime in 2011 Emeka Ihedioha had an electricity power station sited in his village Mbutu. This station was designed to hook off Mbaise axis from the Egbu power station. Since the commissioning of that power station, it has not produced a single watt of electricity. Rumour has it that the money for the contract was embezzled by ‘those who attracted the project’ and that is why the station has failed to function. And the ‘DIShonourable’ member of House of ‘RepresentaTHIEVES’ wants to rule Imo!

As the saying goes, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” A good leader should be clothed with humility and respect. Hon. Ihedioha served former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as a media aide. Atiku holds Governor Rochas Okorocha in high esteem. But Ihedioha does not. Power has entered into his head. He goes about publicly saying all sorts of derogatory and unprintable things against Governor Okorocha. He has refused to partner with the Imo State Government to see how he can use his present position and connection to help in developing the state he wants to rule. He uses all his federal connections and powers to make the state ungovernable so that he will probably take over in 2015 by force and with intimidation. He floods the state with security men from Abuja to intimidate the people. He has no regard for his governor and goes on convoy with dispatch riders which he is not entitled to use. He has been looking for opportunities to confront Governor Okorocha but the governor as a peace-loving leader has always ignored him.

In addition, people who are very close to this Mbaise-born politician also say that he is selfish, sectional, mean, fetish and desperate and can do anything because of power. They say that Imo will be in perpetual bondage if he becomes its governor because of the kind of person they know him to be. Presently, he is sponsoring the ousted local government chairmen in the state to continue hitting up the Imo polity so as to frustrate the administration of the incumbent state governor.

However, the revolution that started in 2011 is spreading like wild fire and will definitely consume all the enemies of progress in Imo State. Nevertheless, the people must be vigilant and wiser in analysing those who want to rule them. Once beaten, twice shy.

*Pastor Romanus Eze sent this piece from Mbutu Aboh Mbaise L.G.A. of Imo State.

•Photo: Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.