Between Orji the Godfather and Orji the "Cultist" Governor!

The gubernatorial election of April 2007 produced a landslide victory for the PDP with the party winning majority of the states of the federation. Following to the letter the doctrine of do or die as pontificated by the father of modern Nigeria all manner of thugs, security forces, INEC officials and godfathers were used to mindlessly manipulate the outcome of the polls favouring the ruling party as against the political fortunes of the divided opposition. But the opposition parties managed to grab few states with the AC taking Lagos spectacularly and the PPA coasting home to victory in Imo and Abia States.

It bears recalling here that ex-Governors Bola Tinubu and Orji Uzor Kalu rebelled against Baba refusing to be cowed or intimidated by the ex-Aso Rock god. Tinubu and Kalu handed over power to their chosen triumphant succesors: Babatunde Fashola and Theodore Orji respectively. While Tinubu made sure that Bode George and Musliu Obanikoro never won the battle of Alausa Orji Uzor Kalu ensured that PDP's Onyema Ugochukwu never made it to the Umuahia Govt. House.

Before the Nigerian Super Tuesday, the day the Presidential election petition tribunal disappointed many by giving its yes-to-rigging verdict the guber election petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia nullified the election of Governor Theodore Orji declaring his PDP rival, Onyema Ugochukwu, the rightfully-elected Governor!

The Tribunal based its final decision on two grounds: the incumbent not resigning from his former post before participating in the Guber polls and belonging to the infamous Okija Shrine. While Governor Orji and his Deputy claimed they did resign from their positions prior to their election the description of Okija Shrine as a secret cult by the Tribunal may not be totally true. Okija Shrine is more of an open cult than a secret one! And Governor Orji's alleged membership must have been as a result of the released damaging video which showed him hands and legs bound with a voodoo priest behind him administering some oath-taking rituals on him! Did that remind you of the Abacha infamous coup video?

Beyond the Abia state election petition tribunal's verdict (which remains appealable and repealable) however the issue of godfatherism in our body polity presents itself in all grotesque nudity. Nigeria is not in isolation when it comes to godfathers choosing their successor in place of the electorate. In Russia out-going President Vladmir Putin has just put his right-hand man Dmitry Medvedev in his stead with the President working a deal with the ex-KGB Chief that guarantees him the Premiership. In the federal level President Yar'Adua owes his mandate largely to the barbaric (sorry Babaic) electoral manipulations of Olusegun Obasanjo and his electoral robot Maurice Iwu.

In Rivers State Peter Odili's godfatheric attempt to use Celestine Omehia to cover up his huge sleazy past in the Brick House in PH backfired when the Supreme Court took away the dubious mandate the Ikwere man was generously handed. In Enugu State Chimaroke Nnamani when he was in power used state resources, incumbency factor and intellectual endowment to break the Jim Nwobodo godfather hold in Enugu state politics. But as his term was up he tried to play the godfather himself by imposing one Sullivan Chime whose bogus election the Tribunal in Enugu has quashed.

However the godfather politics is still working in Edo State where Tony Anenih is tentatively holding sway with an Osunbor that was rigged to power beholden to him. In Delta State James Ibori's cousin Emmanuel Uduaghan is calling the shots. When Ibori the godfather was arrested and arraigned in Kaduna High Court by the EFCC Uduaghan's government in Asaba mobilised market women and street urchins transporting them to go cause some commotion in Kaduna and if need be protest naked! And they did to the opprobrium of decent souls!

And in Bayelsa Governor Timipre Sylva is dancing to the tune of the music supplied by VP Jonathan. The state house of Assembly boils every now and then due to political divisions, alliances and loyalties. And lest one forgets the most entrenched godfatherism in Nigeria is found in Ibadan where Alao-Akala is pretending to be governing from Agodi government house whereas we know that Molete is the seat of power with the grand old man Lamidi Adedibu dictating the way backward and forward.

It would be recalled that Theodore Orji, the ex-Chief of Staff to ex-Governor Orji Kalu, was detained by the EFCC on charges of fund theft and accesory to fraud when he won the election in Abia State. He made history as a Governor-elect in prison, a prisoner as it were who won a guber poll in absentia! Orji Kalu and his active mother, "mama excellency" deployed state resources and excellent campaign strategy to see Orji through.

Perhaps shocked to discover that their rigging plans were truncated the PDP's Ugochukwu and Ojo Maduekwe, current Foreign Affairs Minister, had to beat up the State resident electoral Chief air-borne in an Abuja-bound flight. The state electoral Commissioner pleaded his innocence declaring that as a "born-again" Christian he would not have done otherwise.

Between Orji the godfather and Orji the "cultist" Governor a serious challenge has presented itself: how to undo at the appeal court the guber damage done by the Tribunal's ruling. How succesful they make of this challenge will go a long way to either consolidating or demystifying the influence of the Igbere-born stormy petrel in Abia politics.

Orji Uzor Kalu the Godfather is still facing trial by the EFCC on celebrated charges of embezzling N35 billion state funds while in office though he's enjoying the sweet breeze of freedom because of bail conditions but his greatest political battle is defeating Onyema Ugochukwu once again (and this time around) in the hallowed chambers of the Appeal Court.

Whilst the Ugochukwu camp were rejoicing and thanking God for liberating them from the political Mafian element embedded in the two Orjis methinks the Tribunal judgement lacked merit. The best the Tribunal should have done was to have cancelled the outcome of the poll and ordered for a re-run with an Orji or another candidate from the PPA squarring up against the PDP candidate. That way justice would have been seen to have been done. Alas the reverse was the case!

SOC Okenwa,
soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr

Robot  Villager

# 1 Between Orji the Godfather and Orji the "Cultist" Governor!...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 10.03.2008 15:48

ALORAINIDDEVIL  Villager

# 2 "However the godfather politics is still working in Edo State where Tony Anenih is tentatively holding sway with an Osunbor that was rigged to power beholden to him". My Chairman, you dey a litle bit wrong here O!! serious Gbege dey for the ancinet Bini land O!. Anenih has his own PDP (PDP 1) while Osunbor and Ogbemudia who lost all his senatorial zone elections to AC are in control of PDP 2. Confirmable info has it that Osunbor is Loyal to Baba Iyabo not Mr Fix it. As for ABIA, ON PPA WE STAND!!! JUSTICE MUST SURELY BE DONE!! Posted by ALORAINIDDEVIL| 10.03.2008 18:21

Ofunwa Villager  Villager

# 3 My God Okenwa is at it again, singing the praises of his heroes while pretending to dwell in the realm of objective presentation. First, Okenwa in a desperate bid to down play the evil of 'god fatherism' has reminded everyone that this infamy is a universal political culture practised even in far away Russia. But Okenwa forgot to tell his audience how Putin brought Russia back to life, revitalised the Russian economy, returned the lost glory of Russia, the pride of Russians and the voice of Russia in the comity of nations. This cannot justify the imposition of candidates if democracy is the issue but at least, Putin is seen to be protecting the interest of Russia by imposing a candidate that would stick to his policy that has worked wonderfully well for the Russian state. How can anyone compare the 'godfathers' of Russia with those of Abia and Nigeria? The Russians came and met their nation weak and crestfallen, a far cry from it's previous stature as a superpower. They set to work and restored their nation. The Obasanjos and Kalus of this world, leeches and wolves from the pit of hell, devils in human form. They came, plundered the huge resources available to them, made their nation a laughing stock before the world and fed their own people with misery. Okenwa in his inordinate affection for the Igbere vampire dared to compare good with evil. Just suppose Orji wins his appeal and returns to rule Abia and may be pays a visit to Abia state University or any school for that matter. What will this man tell the kids about honour and dignity? This stark naked night bird, vulture of a corpse eating cultist. What will he tell the kids about cultism? Okenwa called Okija shrine an ''open cult''. God, is anybody reading this? Okenwa, please, do your adoration in the darkness of your diabolical cocoon and spare us your shamelessnes. Posted by Ofunwa Villager| 10.03.2008 18:50

ALORAINIDDEVIL  Villager

# 4 =Ofunwa Villager;4294994927>Okenwa called Okija shrine an ''open cult''. God, is anybody reading this? Okenwa, please, do your adoration in the darkness of your diabolical cocoon and spare us your shamelessnes. Yes I am reading it. If you feel Okija is a secret cult, can you please explain to us? I knew there was a time, Ngige, Chuma Nzeribe and The Younger Ubah visited Oguwgwu akpu OKIJA.. then it was a shrine how come it is been branded a cult now? Posted by ALORAINIDDEVIL| 10.03.2008 19:21