Ojora Ogenyi penned down a perturbing piece, “A growing Threat to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s Reputation”, on www.thisdaylive.com of September 28, 2018, cataloging what he believes are threats to Gov. Ugwuanyi’s reputation. Good write-up grammatically, as it may seem, his thoughts are jumbled up and incoherent. While I do not wish to call it a deliberate attempt to confuse the public or plant an alibi for future mischief, I would like to expose the inherent mischief and incoherence.

It is noteworthy that the article opens with what a summation of the author’s view on Governor Ugwuanyi as a leader. He writes: “Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State is undoubtedly leading the very few state governors who are truly worth their salt in good governance and service delivery. There is relative peace and sustained orderly development in Enugu. He enjoys unquantifiable, unprecedented and unassailable goodwill that distinguishes him from peers and predecessors alike.” Almost immediately after this, he opines: “This sagacious aura and disposition substantially betrays his determined preparedness for concrete consolidation strategies. He has offered strong leadership and fundamental sartorial reforms that have galvanized massive acceptability as well as boosted opportunities for his re-election come 2019 and continued relevance beyond”. This great testimony is further accentuated with: “Viewing through the prisms of the court of public opinion today, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi would certainly go down in history as the only governor since the fourth republic that would not be investigated by anti-graft agencies after leaving office. Former governor Donald Duke of Cross River enjoys such rare privilege. Again, Ugwuanyi’s second term is a fait accompli with clear indication that his administration has decimated the opposition into oblivion mainly due to his policy of all-inclusive governance. Those already queuing behind him are by the day becoming astonishingly numerous”. What a summation and endorsement!

Arising from the praises for Governor Ugwuanyi, Ogenyi, writes that “it is pathetically ironic and deeply worrisome that this is just sharing preliminary thoughts.” “There is a gloomy picture building up in the minds of his admirers suggesting that it is only a matter of time before all these will fizzle away, and none of the fifth columnists can wait for this to happen.” There seems to be a total collapse of thought-line here, when juxtaposed with the picture created in the opening paragraphs. This is the beginning of the journey towards incoherence of thought and weak communication. The author is also to remind us that “in Enugu State, there is a tradition of always bringing together all the aspirants to various positions for possible harmonization of interests prior to elections. This principally takes care of certain internal dynamics guiding the sharing arrangements for political elective offices in the various constituencies, particularly state and local government. This practice has ensured the electoral victories and consolidated hold on power by the PDP since 1999.” My question here is this: Does the writer support imposition of candidates at elections? Does he support the idea of a few party men deciding who goes where and who gets what? Does Ogenyi want Ugwuanyi to follow the so-called tradition of “selection” and godfather-endorsement”?

It is important to point out that “democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.” Within our political stipulations, party delegates elect people that represent the party at general elections at party primaries. The essence of using party primaries to select candidates to fly party flags is to ensure the party members, represented by the delegates (chosen by the party members) decide on who wins or loses. The wisdom here is to avoid the Governor or party officials imposing candidates on the party. Consequently, aspirants try through various campaign strategies to convince delegates to accept their candidacy. This makes the people, represented by the delegates, the real godfathers, not the governor or party “big shots”. But, Ogenyi seems perturbed by this and cautions that “there is likely going to be an implosion in the state chapter of PDP if there is no timely and dispassionate intervention by the leaders and stakeholders. Apart from the governor’s seat, all the legislative positions in both state and federal legislatures are being contested for by numerous members of the party who have since variously purchased their nomination forms. It would certainly be a very difficult task managing its adverse effects which in its own portends a great threat to Governor Ugwuanyi’s re-election in the event that some aggrieved persons pitch their tent with the opposition to rattle the PDP.”

Does Ogenyi really want Governor Ugwuanyi to shut down the flow of democracy in Enugu State? Does he want the governor and his top party men to sit down and select or appoint candidates based on whatever calculations? Is that the democracy that we desire? Honestly, many would agree with me that it is an undemocratic idea. Democracy should be allowed to thrive in Enugu sate, as well as other states in Nigeria. All party members that want to fly their party flags should be given opportunity to express and pursue their interests in well organised and effective party primaries. This remains an intra-party process that, when properly carried out, throw up the people’s choice for any particular position. It is also proven that genuine party members are better disposed to accepting and supporting candidates of their party who emerge through genuine primaries than those imposed on them by party chieftains. Genuine party members who end up losing at the primaries are also inclined to supporting the candidates that win and help the party win elections. Only selfish members defect to other parties in search of platforms to contest against their party-chosen candidates.

Ogenyi should be made to understand and appreciate the fact that democracy is dead with imposition of candidates and all other forms of godfatherism. Governor Ugwuanyi knows and appreciates this. His belief in and support for democracy would rather shore up his political and leadership equity and not “mar the abundant viable opportunities and goodwill…“make him lose steam and innocently become a moral midget in the long run” as Ogenyi urges us to accept. While efforts should be made to arrive at consensus at some levels, it is totally wrong, unacceptable, within modern democratic norms, for the governor to interrupt genuine democratic processes for selfish or group reasons.

In another development, Ogenyi opines: “As inadmissible as it may appear, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is unfortunately sacrificing his hard-earned massive relationship capital and unprecedented public goodwill at the altar of political patronage of soiled hands and questionable dispositions. He is latently, although unwittingly, tainting his government through accommodation and empowerment of twisted minds. The import of this surreptitious infiltration is that his popularity and acceptability risk extinction as they increasingly nosedive through amorphousness and philistinism on the part of certain political liabilities around him.” Ogenyi further posits that “Governor Ugwuanyi has no justifications whatsoever to even contemplate derailing, judging by the massive cult following he currently enjoys.

What is Ogenyi saying here? What criminal activities of people in Ugwuanyi’s government is being referred to? Who are the “twisted minds’ being empowered by Ugwuanyi’s government? Who are the “criminals” inherited from ex-governor Sullivan Chime? Have their crimes already reported to the appropriate agencies of government? What are these agencies doing? Honestly, the reader is already confused midway into his article. He loses the reader! While people do not, in any way, support crime and involvement of criminals in government and governance, Ogenyi should be mindful of the consequences of libel and reputation damage unverified or unsubstantiated claims in the media can cause innocent persons. These aside, Ogenyi is required to, specifically too, address these issues properly and tell us how Governor Ugwuanyi is, or would be hurt…” with the truth about the grim prospects of giving himself out as being favorably disposed to propagating thievery in governance and political brigandage or as a leader whose attitude towards corruption is grossly antithetical to growth of democracy.”

In his article, Ogenyi tells about “a massive diversion of local government funds to the tune of N4 billion under his predecessor (Sullivan Chime of APC; embezzlement of billions of Naira under State Universal Basic Education Board under Sullivan Chime; handling of the cases by EFCC’s and ICPC…. Yet, he does not in any clear manner; tell us the role Governor Ugwuanyi has played wrongly in all these. Does the appointment of “principal suspects in this humongous fraud” into vantage positions in government” as claimed by Ogenyi, in any way stop investigations on the matter by the appropriate agencies. After all, the cases are already with the appropriate agencies of government. One wonders whether Ogenyi did sincerely write that Gov. Ugwuanyi: “feigning ignorance of all the documented criminal activities of some folks who he (innocently) inherited from his predecessor, smacks of betrayal of public trust on the part of the governor, and completely negates the zero tolerance for corruption stance of President Muhammadu Buhari. This brazen contradiction has become a source of concern for all lovers of good governance and particularly fans of this gentleman governor”?

This is the height of mischief, insincerity and incoherence of thought! To think that Ogenyi cited President Buhari’s anti-corruption stance in his essay is laughable, utterly ridiculous. Right in the camp of APC and President Buhari are the ex-governor Sullivan Chime (mentioned by Ogenyi) and all the other acclaimed corruption titans! Most of the “yam eaters” of the PDP of yore are in the President’s and APC’s employ – directly or indirectly.

The same Ogenyi who advocates for Governor Ugwuanyi’s intervention in the electoral process of the PDP by calling for meeting of candidates at various levels with a view to “anointing one over another” is also here crying out against the imposition of Cornelius Nnaji on the people. He writes: “Cornelius Nnaji, is as of today, the only aspirant to have been reportedly tipped by the state seat of power to represent the Enugu-East and Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency presently being occupied by Amb. Kingsley Ebenyi.” He further laments that “although there is an internal rotational arrangement between the two component local councils which now favours Nnaji’s Enugu East, there are several others who have shown interests with even more service and leadership credentials defined by high degree of credibility and integrity. Besides, his elder brother is presently serving as a senator and vying for re-election. So it means that federal representation is now an exclusive preserve of one nuclear family. Added to this misnomer, an age long internal understanding among the Enugu-East local government area with regard to rotational occupation of their two state constituencies seats have been breached to favour Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi, the speaker of the state assembly. While Hon. John Agbo Ugwumba has graciously and honourably given way having done two terms at the rural constituency, including the deputy speaker Donatus Uzogbado, Ubosi is sitting tight at the urban constituency even when there is no justification for his continuity aside except following governor to every function as if the legislature is an extension of the executive”.

Ogenyi is quick to forecast “an imminent thumb-down for the state if the scheming sails through”. To him, “it signifies that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi would have been grossly distracted by the infiltrations of corrupt men whose only vision for the government is for the impunity to continue unabated and also for Enugu State to be heated up and polarized in order for them to be indispensable. Their sole prowess is the skills in fishing in troubled waters.” What is Ogenyi saying here again? As cogent and saddening as the picture he has painted is, what does he want Governor Ugwuanyi to do to salvage the situation? Is he still calling for the governor to delve into the fray and with the support of a few “powerful party men” choose or select candidates for the elective positions? Wouldn’t it be better for the governor to allow democracy play out through primaries? Would PDP thrive better under “selection” and imposition of candidates than under free and fair party primaries? One would rather think that Nigerians are tired of “politics of selection, imposition and settlement as Ogeni is advocating (by calling for Governor’s intervention through “peace meetings”). While the governor and other PDP chieftains in the state are disposed to a harmonious process and ready to engineer meetings to harmonise interests; Governor Ugwuanyi is not inclined to imposition of candidates. For this, posterity shall remember him well, not the other way round.

•Ike Ezugwu is from Enugu State and wrote from Lagos. He can be reached via ike.ezugwu@yahoo.com