NZE JAMES CHINONYEREM
I make this operative statement right away. HE, Dr Ikedi Ohakim is no choice to succeed the current governor. He is not fitted into it anyway. Those who egg him on to run the race are his enemies. He must note this. Ohakim has eaten his cake so he can’t still have it in his hands or on the table. Also, he can’t be allowed to eat another person’s cake. He is not Okigwe though he is from Okigwe. Nde Okigwe deserve better deal whenever it is their turn to produce the governor of the state in the spirit of the charter of equity.
Ohakim was imposed on Imo State in 2007 to exemplify sociopolitical-cultural nationalism of his Okigwe people. How grateful he was to them while in office should be appraised by the level of material and human developments he delivered to his zone in particular and the state in general.
Ochudo Martin Agbaso from Owerri zone was robbed to have him in. By implications, Owerri zone witnessed firsthand, the axiom, “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” Ohakim was the direct beneficiary of that electoral robbery in 2007. He sold that mandate in 2011 the same amount he bought it in 2007. So let it be as it was.
He came in as the governor in very novel way and conducted the affairs of the state in same manner. He never pretended. He was utterly hubristic, always, in an unprecedented garrulous mode. For the first time in the history of governorship in the state, we had a governor who was talking down on the people, abusing everyone and everything in his sight. Many are of the belief that his unguided mouth was among the factors that worked against him in his second term bid. Also, his inability to manage the internal pressures, conflicts, competitions and contradictions in his then PDP ranked among his undoings in the state. Equally, his unnecessary fights with President Jonathan at the national level was a wrong step in the wrong directions. He was said to have supported the cabal in charge during President Yar’adua’s sickness. He backed the wrong horse as we say in the local parlance. As a result, he was electorally roasted by the federal might. Ask those who participated in that election as agents of PDP. They will tell how mercilessly they were muzzled by the federal security agencies. So those who twist history, falsely blaming anyone or zone for Ohakim’s 2011 electoral misfortune should note their futile efforts. Ohakim was the architect of his electoral woes in 2011. He alone should bear the blames.
Since leaving office in 2011, he had staged comebacks, one for the office of the governor under ADC and two, for Okigwe senatorial seat. All ended in failures. He had not been considered for any state or federal appointments since then. This simply means that he has been out of radar and cast off in the unfolding new trends in administration in the state. Many people believe that come 2027, Imo should have a fresh breathe in her governorship recruitment. Doing away with expired, tired and retired hands is the best option. We cannot afford to have a governor that will pursue vindictiveness against imaginary enemies who caused him electoral defeat almost twenty years ago. We want fresh mind with fresh ideas capable of building on the foundations and achievements of the Sen Hope Uzodinma legacies.
Imo State is in a forward match for a better and greater advancement. No going back to Egypt. God has been kind to HE, Ikedi Ohakim. From nowhere he became the governor. This is a lifetime opportunity and honour.
Let him not mess it up.
©️nzejameschinonyerem2025.