It was late in the night, when I was about retiring from the more physical hustles of my life to more mental investments, that someone posted an article written by Uzodimma’s dozy Chief Press Secretary, with the above caption to me. I had to wait to be sure that it was really Oguwuike Nwachukwu that penned the pleonasm littered attempt at counter-argument. Oguwuike, I learnt is an old journalist, but if his performance in the 3R coven as a Chief Press Secretary is used as a parameter for measuring his training and efficiency in the field he has invested many years in, then, he can at best be described as an “also-comes” in the journalism profession.
In his over three years as Uzodimma’s Chief Press Secretary, I think this might be about the fifth time I am reading him trying to provide some explanations to counter the many critical and logical opinions and numerous negative news reports that litter the media against his Principal.
On occasions when he had cropped up as an item in my discussions with friends, I would make excuses for him with the explanation that; “one can only work as his boss understands”, more like saying that, a dog mirrors his owner.
As a matter of principle, I would hardly respond to the many attention-seeking essays written by the numerous appointed and unappointed aides and rent-seekers of the 3R coven against me. In fact, I hardly read beyond the first few lines of most of them, but I am compelled to respond to this because it comes from a valuable member of the legitimacy sapped administration in Imo, even though, a highly devalued one.
I do have respect for the journalist, Oguwuike Nwachukwu, but I completely lack respect for the CPS, Oguwuike Nwachukwu. How do I respect a CPS who doesn’t seem to know or has been forced to unlearn the basic principles of communication and political marketing. How do I respect a CPS who does not know the difference between a memo and a press statement or a letter and news release? A Chief Press Secretary who addresses his press statements through the Office of the Chief of Staff? A Press Secretary who is among the least visible of all appointees of the government? A Press Secretary whom I learnt defers to barely literate thugs and who sits back and allows the governor’s stories to be told by too many different, rent-seeking charlatans, thereby failing to create any known identity for his principal, the governor? For the avoidance of doubts, there is no one in any organisation, administration, or government that should be more visible than a Chief Press Secretary. But, I understand; a dog cannot fail to look like its owner. When you are aligned to an integrity deficient, jittery, validation seeking and charlatan dominated system, you are either crowded out of relevance or you just flow along. I know, because I was a victim.
It was clear that Oguwuike didn’t have any facts to counter the non-partisan intervention which he intended to counter, but, I guess, he needed to do his job. I may need to further summarise my points for him, because, like many lazy writers, he might also be a very lousy reader who doesn’t have the patience to read through ‘lengthy’ essays.
My points in the said write-up are as follows;
1. Hope Uzodimma, the governor, has done well, by the standard of governance in our part of the world, and has by many degrees, outperformed Rochas Okorocha.
2. Hope Uzodimma’s position as governor is highly controversial and Imolites see him as an impostor governor, given the circumstances surrounding his emergence as governor. To break it further down, Imolites have refused to accept him as their governor.
3. Uzodimma has shown, through his activities during the recent elections, that he is the biggest beneficiary of insecurity in Imo State, and this lends credence to the opinion in many quarters that he might actually be the sponsor of the insecurity ravaging the State or that he might know more than he is telling us.
4. Uzodimma is so unpopular among Imolites that he cannot, freely, that is without inducement, manipulation or intimidation, get up to 5000 votes from the whole Imo electorate if he presents himself as a candidate in the coming election. I challenged him to call for a mock election, and I am sure, he will fail woefully in his polling booth at Omuma.
5. I also wrote that the APC, which is the Party of Uzodimma did not genuinely win any seat in the elections held on the 25th of February and 18th of March in Imo State. Every single seat they claim, is stolen.
Having provided the guidance above, I do hope Oguwuike will tailor his subsequent response to speak to the issues raised and not a resort to name calling, puerile insinuations and illogical polemics.
It has become the pastime of Hopists and others who are desperate to show their paymasters that they can puncture me, to always accuse me of being paid for everything I write or being attached to one principal or the other at each point in time. I have often argued that writing is a very lucrative profession and political marketing is one of the highest paying jobs in any democracy, hence, it should be a thing of honour for anyone to be earning a good pay through them. However, I am one of the naivest writers and political marketer around, I rarely got paid for packing the mess of the boneheads we call politicians. And this is not a path I will advise anyone to toe.
I know that no one wrote better essays in defense of Uzodimma’s security operations purportedly aimed at quashing the non-State actors terrorizing the State. And, even though, I have come to believe that Uzodimma is the chief beneficiary of the same insecurity he claims to be fighting, I still hold strongly to the opinion that a State Chief Executive has a responsibility to secure the State, and any legitimate measures, even when not very conventional, that is deployed in ridding the State of criminal elements should be deployed. It will please me, if Oguwuike Nwachukwu, as the head of Uzodimma’s Media team, would tell the world how much, him, or Uzodimma paid me for defending them at the time.
Oguwuike knows that on about two occasions when I visited Imo State, he invited me over to his office, then, to a bar somewhere in New Owerri, and on both occasions, I failed to turn up to meet with him. If I was keen on getting something from him or from the administration he serves, I would have jumped at the opportunity to meet him and probably present a deal to him, especially, as I was seen at that time as friendly to the 3R coven. Those who know me well, know that blackmails, especially, cheap ones like that don’t shift a hair on my skin, I do what I want to do and I am convinced about and I stop sound them whenever I wish to, because among the things I thank God for, I thank God ten times everyday, for my independence.
And let me answer Oguwuike’s question; does FCC Jones need help? Certainly, I need help, and seriously from the man largely seen as an impostor in Douglas House. Let him resign as the governor of Imo State, as it should have become obvious to him by now that Imolites have refused to accept him as their governor. Let him, within the short time he might remain as governor, give governance human face. Let him restore sanity to the State, so that the many businesses that have been forced to relocate out of the State can come back. Let him stop stealing. Yes, the governor orchestrated the stealing of the votes of Imolites and there is no greater thief than the one that steals a people’s right to choose their leaders. That is the much help I may need from Hope Uzodimma at the moment.
IMO MUST WIN!
My name is Onwuasoanya FCC Jones
