OPINION – IMO: Not the end of troubles

 

By Sam Amadi

One of my pastor friends, a few days ago, reminded me of a dream I had in 2018 when I was engaged in campaigns for the Imo APGA Governorship primary.

In that dream, I was riding a bicycle and IMO leaders accosted me about the leadership challenge in the state.

They beseeched me to help and save the state. I told them point-blank that the state has more years of travail until they learn to entrust leadership to those who have the capacity and integrity to lead.

It is sad that the dream is proving true. IMO is one of the worst states where sundry criminals have high visibility and position in government.

In other states, criminals may want to stay behind and control things. But in IMO, they don’t stay behind. They jump to the seat of power and take charge.

It is possible that in IMO, over 40% of men and women of power (mostly men) are either persons with plain criminal pedigree or persons with extremely immoral profile. It is like a social compact between IMO people that they will always go for such persons. Always.

IMO young and old, civil servants and clergy have a natural feel for such characters. They are popular in IMO; and unlike in Anambra where the professionals will make a pretense of trying to save their state, Imo professionals have a tryst with 419-like politicians; they give it up to them.

Once in a while, we have our Otokoto moment. But it never redefines politics. One day, may be. But before then, I remember with horror my encounter with an IMO spiritual leader. An encounter that tells me that IMO’s love for 419-like politicians is stronger than bad governance can quench.

In 2018, while on the campaign trail, a pastor friend came down to Owerri from Port Harcourt and wanted to meet up. He suggested I pay homage to a leading Pentecostal bishop, a man who could rightly be called the father of PFN in the state. He had been around for so long as a religious leader and highly regarded amongst the clergy.

Once the Bishop saw me, he screamed. He said he was my ardent fan and never missed any of my appearances on television. I was very surprised at that level of respect. He said each time I analysed events on television,  he would take a notebook because anyone who cannot learn from me is unteachable. Butterflies rumbled in my stomach.

We went down to business of politics. He told me his greatest regret was supporting Rochas Okorocha. He led over 1000 pastors to pour oil on Rochas. He would never do it again. It is someone like Sam Amadi that IMO needs and not Rochas and his son in-law.

I didn’t get the ticket. It was later alleged that one of those IMO toughies bought the ticket. I fizzled away to Abuja to run television commentary by the sideline. Imagine my horror to read that my venerable Bishop later led a college of Bishops and priests to canonize Rochas’ son in-law. The lure of IMO. The love of filth in IMO politics.

So what happened at the IMO House of Assembly may happen again and again. The misdirection of politics and mismanagement of power will continue in IMO as we wait for the end of this fatal attraction between IMO people and shady and incompetent politicians.

Amadi is a lecturer at Baze University, Abuja.

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