*Why they should be voted out on Saturday*
This viewpoint serves to draw attention to the ignoble and shameful role played by the members of the present Ben Uwajumogu-led Imo House of Assembly in destroying and under developing Imo State since they took office on 6th June, 2011. The essence of this analysis is to appeal to Imo electorate to vote against or reject any member in the present Ben-Uwajumogu-led Legislature who is seeking a return ticket to either the National Assembly or the State Legislature.
Prior to the Presidential/ National Assembly (NASS) election which held on March 28th, I did a similar report which I sent to a cross-section of Imo electorate on reasons why they should reject any member of the Uwajumogu-led legislature who is seeking to return to that House. I am glad that information at my desk shows that my appeal which was forwarded to about 1000 email addresses was heeded when Mr. Uwajumogu and his deputy, MR Ozoemena, and others were rejected at the polls.
His Deputy, Mr Ozoemena was seeking to be elected into the Federal House of Representatives while the Speaker, MR. Ben Uwajumogu,was seeking to represent Imo North (Okigwe Zone) in the Senate. Both of them were disgraced in the poll and I thank the voters for behaving well on this occasion. But the battle rages on until those of them who are seeking a return ticket to the House are voted out on Saturday, April 11th. The message in this viewpoint is that any serving legislator in the present Imo House of Assembly must be voted out on Saturday.
They are a disgrace to democracy and to their various constituencies who voted for them in 2011. We are ashamed of them and may IMO State never ever again parade such an incoherent and corrupt group of pretenders as legislators again, AMEN They are ingrates and Judas Iscariots who must not be allowed to go back to the Hallowed Legislature. They were the group that empowered and encouraged Governor Okorocha to turn Imo State to a sole proprietary business empire. If we had a functional legislature, Governor Okorocha would not have been as corrupt, temerarious and lawless as what we have seen in the last four years.
It is shameful that the first official function of the Speaker, Ben Uwahumogu, after he was selected as House Speaker was to defect from his party, the PDP, into Okorocha's then Party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA).He defected to the governor's party, APGA, together with about four other legislators of PDP extraction. In my viewpoint entitled "Imo House of Assembly @ one month" which you can browse and read online, I denounced this act of treachery and served notice to the electorate that Ben Uwajumogu was a disgrace to democracy for abandoning the PDP through whose platform he became a legislator, more so, as this dishonourable act was his first official function as Speaker.
I advised Mr. Ben Uwajumogu that he would have borrowed a leaf from his predecessor , Goodluck Opiah, who in PDP partnered with the then governor, Ikedi Ohakim of the Peoples Progressives Alliance(PPA) without abandoning PDP. In fact, he used his position to woo Chief Ikedi Ohakim to defect to the PDP on July 25th, 2009 in what was described by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as a promise made and a promise kept. But in the case of Mr. Ben Uwajumogu, he simply mortgaged Imo State to Governor Okorocha for a mess of pottage or porridge. Ben Uwajumogu and his ALI BABA thieves in the Imo House of Assembly(IMHA) have done incalculable, irreparable, and irremediable damage to Imo State in his four disgraceful years as a rubber stamp Speaker of IMHA.
It is lamentable that this rubber stamp legislator hails from Okigwe zone- the zone that produced the most effective Governor in Imo State. I mean the inimitable, indomitable and irrepressible DEE Sam Mbakwe, PHD of blessed memory. The shame of MR. Uwajumogu will make Daddy Sam Mbakwe, PH.D to turn and weep in his grave. May Okigwe zone never present such a poor representative in the political terrain again.
The sins of Ben Uwajumogu -led House are numerous. However, for paucity of space and time, let me take you on a brief excursion on how the Uwajumogu- led House used Okorocha's fiscal budgets to destroy and under -develop Imo State.
Four (4) Year Rescue Development Plan for Imo State(2012-2015):
The first shameful assignment of the Uwajumogu-led House soon after he shamelessly abandoned his original party, the PDP, was to enact what it called :Imo State of Nigeria 2011,Law No.18. It is also called Imo State of Nigeria 4-YEAR Capital Infrastructural Development Law, 2011. It is through this nebulous document that Mr. Ben Uwajumogu and his group of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves looted Imo State blind. It is a document which could be aptly described as the veritable "Squandering of Riches". It was through this document that the entire members of the present House partnered with Governor Okorocha to destroy the economy of Imo State- thus leaving it bedraggled , desolate and crest-fallen.
In the entire Nigeria, a country that consists of 36 states and Abuja, Imo State appears to be the only State that operated a 4-year Development budget alongside the usual annual fiscal budgets. The fact that this document was enacted soon after the House was inaugurated evinces the fact that even before taking the levers of power, the Uwajumogu-led House had already made up its mind to work in cahoots with Governor Okorocha to loot the patrimony and commonwealth of Imo State. Perhaps, it is pertinent to state that this otiose 2-year Capital Budget was assented to by the State Governor , Rochas Okorocha, on the 20th day of December, 2011 together with an assent by Clerk of House, Barrister Christopher. O. Duru who served as Clerk of House.
Highlights of the 4-year Development Budget: The excerpts read thus"5(a) :"The government shall in the execution of the 4-year capital projects be at liberty to finance the projects by any financing module it considers expedient including but not limited to, internal and external borrowing, public private partnership(PPP), concessioning to private sector investors, partnerships joint venture guarantee, etc.
5(b)In the event of borrowing to finance the projects listed in the schedule, prior approval of the House of Assembly shall be obtained if the amount required exceeds N224,020,412,679.00(Two hundred and twenty four billion, Twenty million, four hundred and twelve thousand, six hundred and seventy nine Naira)only,,,,.
The implication of this terrible provision is that the Mr Uwajumogu-led House abdicated its responsibility of oversight functions over public/ / fiscal spending when it gave Governor Okorocha a blank cheque to spend as much as he wished and in a manner pleasing to him under cover of the 4-year capital budget which they approved for the Governor four years in advance. TERRIBLE! What a House of confused and distracted legislators!!
Again under 5(b) of the document, the House allows the governor to feel free to borrow from anywhere and even use government property as mortgage or collaterals in respect of such loans. Above all, the governor is free to borrow without recourse to the House as far as the loan or borrowing is below N224,020,412,679.00(Two hundred and twenty four billion, Twenty million, four hundred and twelve thousand, six hundred and seventy nine Naira)only. What a shame! This is a brief story of how Uwajumogu-led Imo House of Corrupt legislators worked in cahoots with Governor Okorocha to destroy the Imo State economy in the last four years, It is lamentable that a Legislature anywhere in this day and age could give a Chief Executive the freedom to toy with such a humongous amount of over M224 billion. It is because of the ineptitude of this legislature that Governor Okorocha has the temerity and effrontery to tell whoever cares that: "I don't believe in the rule of law; I don't believe in due process because it slows me down. He knows that he has no functioning Legislature; they are in his pocket.
Highlights of Projects in the 4-YEAR Infrastructural Budget:
In the document, various amounts were allocated to some expenditure headings totaling N224,020412,679. Some of the projects include Imo Airways project for N I BILLION, Oguta Blue Lake Treasure for N5 billion, Power plant project for N10 billion, industrial projects for 15 BILLION, road projects for, monumental projects, community projects, Roads projects for N681891701212 BILLION, IMSU permanent site to gulp N15 billion, Hospital projects to gulp N10 BILLION, Gated City projects (Owerri) totaling NI3 BILLION, School projects totaling N22,600,0000,000.00,Okigwe Hotel and Orlu hotel to gulp N4 billion each and others. A total of N224,020,412,679 was tied to various capital projects. As I look around Imo State today, I am unable to eye-mark these projects to which huge amounts were earmarked. Yes, my ears have heard of these earmarked allocations but my eyes are yet to see them. If time permits, the full 4-year Capital Infrastructural Development Budget (2012-2015 ) Schedule will be published elsewhere for your perusal and scrutiny.
The objective of this analysis is to amplify to the Imo electorate how the Uwajumogu-led House aided and abetted the looting of our state in the last four years. In this wise, it becomes imperative that both the State Governor, Anayo Okorocha, and any legislator in the Imo State House of Assembly who seeks a second tenure should be voted out. They shortchanged Imo and it is the duty of the electorate to have recalled them before now. Since it is not possible to recall them, they must be voted out now. They are of nuisance value in the HOUSE of Assembly . This is the only deterrent against a reoccurrence.
Governor Okorocha's Fiscal budgets since he became Governor;
In his first full budget , 2012 Budget, presented on the 19th January, 2012, Governor Okorocha presented a fiscal budget of N174,316400,000.00 billion. In the 2013 budget, presented on Monday, 3rd December,2012, he presented a budget of N195,743,684,031. In the 2014 budget which was presented on Friday, 20th December, 2013, he presented a total fiscal budget of N137,026,528,434. In the 2015 budget tagged “Budget of Total Rescue and Sustainability", he presented a budget of N141.2 BILLION with a capital expenditure of N80.5 BILLION(57%) and Recurrent expenditure of N60.7 Billion((43%).
Now if you consider. the total budgets in both the 4-year capital budget and the yearly fiscal budgets, you begin to wonder where the capital projects are located
It is sad that the over seven governorship candidates from Owerri zone are unable to present only one
candidate for the guber!
Read More:
The collapse of Rochas Okorocha's fraudulent Empire
RECCOMMENDATION: All in all, I make bold to say that Governor Okorocha and Uwajumogu-led House of Assembly, have ruined the economy of Imo State since their inception in 2011.The only way to bring sanity into the Imo State PLC is to vote for a new governor, HON Emeka Ihedioha, and a brand new legislature to run the state from May 29th , 2015. It is only when we have a new governor as well as new breed of legislators in the State Legislature that we can know the extent of damage or looting of the state funds in the regime of Okorocha/Uwajumogu. It is sad that the over seven governorship candidates from Owerri zone are unable to present only one candidate for the guber!
I have been reliably informed that the plan for a single governorship candidate from Owerri zone will not be feasible because there are fears that at least one of the candidates from Owerri zone is planted there by Governor Okorocha to create confusion and frustrate any move for a consensus candidate. Some of the candidates are Okorocha’s surrogates. Perhaps, One of the candidate whose loyalty is to his party is not in doubt is the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon Emeka Ihedioha.
If, however, Ndi Owerri zone present a lone candidate supported by a majority, if not all the candidates, we will adopt him and vote for him. Nonetheless, it may not be easy to reach accord on a consensus candidate since there are fears that Governor Okorocha is sponsoring at least one of the big candidates. In such a scenario, the electorate should be wise enough to cast their votes for the candidate who has since been endorsed by the Owerri Peoples Assembly, HON. Emeka Ihedioha who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).
In conclusion, I am calling on the electorate to reject any member of the present legislature who is still planning to go back to the House, They should be rejected by voting for any other candidate of their choice in those constituencies. Of special mention are some strategic state constituencies which are very crucial in this election. The State constituencies include Owerri Municipal Council where the PDP candidate, Hon Macdonald Ebere, must be voted for. Another flashpoint is Oguta State Constituency where the PDP candidate, HON. William Ezeikpe, must be voted for and above all, Orlu State Constituency where the PDP candidate, Chief Peter Okorie, must be voted for.
None of these candidates knows me but they will be very useful to checkmate the impunity of Governor Okorocha in the very unlikely event of his being returned to power. But there is no option for an HON Emeka Ihedioha governorship because it is then we will be in a position to know the extent of damage that Governor Okorocha and the Dishonourable BEN Uwajumogu-led House have done to the economy of IMO State Plc. in the last four years. In voting for HON EMEKA Ihedioha, let us give him the materials to work in the State Legislature not enable them unravel the extent of damage to IMO State in the last four years of Governor Okorocha’s Mobocracy.
The ongoing insinuation that Imo State needs a Governor in the same political party with President Buhari is flawed and a hogwash. Governor Okorocha who a cross-section of the electorate perceive to have done well is not in the party with the president, Goodluck Jonathan, ; yet they say he has well. Dee Sam Mbakwe who is on record as the most effective governor that ever ruled Imo State from October 1st, 1070 to 31st December, 1983, was not in the same political party with then President ,Alhaji Shehu Shagari. While Dee Mbakwe, PHD was in Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP), Alhaji Shehu Shagari was in the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).
On the flip side, there is a consensus that Chief Achike Udenwa who was governor for eight years(May 29th, 1999 -May 29th, 2007) and Chief Ikedi Ohakim who was governor from May 29th, 2007 - May 29th, 2011 performed below average even though they belonged to the President's party, the PDP. So, the template of opposition governor has worked very well for IMO State. So, there is no guarantee that if Okorocha is in same party with the President , he will be more effective. In fact, if Governor Okorocha could brag that he did not believe in the rule of law and Due process, even when he was an opposition governor, one needs to imagine what he will do with Imo State PLC if he is in the same political party with the President.
He will be so temerarious as he will legitimize the present government of Mobocracy which he has been running in Imo State since 2011. Above all, he is likely to run the IMO State PLC as a sole proprietary business enterprise . On a general note, Governor Okorocha has done well but he will be very dangerous to Imo State as a second tenure governor. Those who describe him as the most effective governor since 1999 should not forget to add that he is also the most corrupt and lawless governor that ever ruled this part of the country.
After four years as governor, Governor Okorocha suddenly remembered the place of jobs , factories and industries in Imo State. But in his first tenure as governor in 1979, Dee Sam Mbakwe built over 30 factories in Imo State as well as building IMO STATE UNIVERSITY. In the same vein, Senator Evan Enwere who was governor for about 18 months used his professional acumen as a barrister to relocate Imo State university from Uturu to its present temporary site in Owerri. Yet, in four years, Governor Okorocha is not even able to build a permanent site for Imo University in spite of the huge annual fiscal appropriations to IMSU since 2011.
Please recall that aside the fiscal appropriations to IMSU in the yearly budgets, the controversial 4-year capital budget appropriated a whopping sum of N15 BILLION for what was tagged: “Universities Permanent Site.” Another N22.6bn was appropriated to what was headed: “School Projects”.
Umunnem Ndi IMO, where are the school projects that gulped N22.6 BILLION and where is the permanent site of IMSU on which a staggering sum of N15 BILLION was expended? However, we are all aware that Governor Okorocha spent a huge amount to build what was to be the permanent site of Imo State University(IMSU) in his village Ogboko in Ideato South. But it is a tragedy and lamentable that that facility has since become converted to Governor Okorocha’s private university. He shamelessly calls it “European University Ogboko”. Yet, the people of Imo State embark on a conspiracy of silence over the hegemonic rule of Emperor Okorocha who instead of running a democracy is running a mobocracy/Ochlocracy in Imo State.
That IMSU facility at OGBOKO must be retrieved from Okorocha and rechristened “Orlu Campus of IMSU”. This is one of a myriad of reasons that we must vote HON. Emeka Ihedioha as our new governor. In the classic “How Europe underdeveloped Africa” by RODNEY, a lot was said about the role of Europeans in the underdevelopment of Africa, but today, in Imo State, we have a case of a group of local colonizers in the legislature and Executive arms of Imo State who have destroyed the economy of IMO State since 2011.
To be forewarned is to be forearmed!
- By John Mgbe, Johnmgbe@yahoo.com
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