By Barth Odinanwa
For those who are surprised or worried about where the consistent and aggressive social media attacks and tantrums at Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi are coming from since the conclusion of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries in Enugu State, it is being orchestrated and funded by his kinsman, ally and former Minister, Chief John Nnia Nwodo (jnr) from Igbo-Etiti LGA.
The outspoken and pugnacious former Minister, who has been enjoying public office and easy fund since 1979 till recently has supporters in a serving senator, Senator Chuka Utazi, a notorious and serial governorship contestant, Bar. Okey Ezea, a sit-tight serving House of Representatives member, Pat Asadu, who lost out in the recent PDP primaries, one time local government chairman and longest serving Commissioner in the state, Arch. Chris Offor and others. They are all from Nsukka and Ugwuanyi’s benefactors before now.
These personalities have been greatest beneficiaries of Governor Ugwuanyi’s government and personal magnanimity over the years at the detriment of the rest of Nsukka people. Governor Ugwuanyi has always been supportive and respectful of them especially the former Minister, whom he made President General of the Igbo apex social cultural organisation.
For the love and respect Governor Ugwuanyi has for the former Minister’s family, he made the former Minister’s elder brother, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo’s son, Chairman of their local government against all odds.
It would be recalled that at the early stage of Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration, the former Minister brought the contractor that did a shoddy job on Total Roundabout road to Odenigbo junction in Nsukka, that nearly caused rift between Nsukka people and Gov. Ugwuanyi before the latter addressed it.
The former Minister who is double-faced and known for his double standing on issues of personal interest, often praises Governor Ugwuanyi in his face and castigates him in his absence and private.
He has been hypocritical, preemptive, dismissive, envious and critical of Governor Ugwuanyi’s political exploits, capacity and achievements in office.
The former Minister, who has been in political and public offices for years before now has nothing to show for it in terms of infrastructural projects or human empowerment in his local government, Enugu North Senatorial zone and Enugu State in general, apart from lining his personal pockets and that of his family members.
Despite saying repeatedly and pretentiously that he is no longer partisan, the former Minister is deeply partisan and interested in the politics of who succeeds Governor Ugwuanyi.
It is known that ahead of the PDP governorship primaries in Enugu, the former Minister and his allies from Nsukka continously pressured Gov. Ugwuanyi to support his brother- in-law and Commissioner in Ugwuanyi’s government from Isi Uzo LGA to emerge the PDP governorship candidate.
Even before the PDP primaries, the former Minister and his few political allies from Nsukka that have lived and survived on government patronage all their lives have already shared juicy government positions among themselves and family members with every confident that the former Minister’s brother-in- law, ex-commissioner and Ugwuanyi’s alleged cousin will emerge the PDP governorship candidate.
Unfortunately for the former Minister, who is not occupying any public office now to continue to enjoy free monies that usually come with it, his brother- in- law from Isi Uzo LGA lost the PDP governorship primaries to Mr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah.
That is why the former Minister and his allies embarked on aggressive social media campaign of calumny against Governor Ugwuanyi since then.They have been meeting and conspiring continously against Governor Ugwuanyi with the sole of aim of sustaining the aggressive social media attacks and campaign of calumny against him in the days ahead, hiding under Nsukka collective interest that they never represented or promoted genuinely and altruistically.
They are behind all the fabricated and libelous social media open letters and articles against Governor Ugwuanyi. They have been deceitfully reaching out and recruiting some gullible persons in Nsukka, including clerics to be speaking evil and launching social media attacks on Governor Ugwuanyi for their personal interests.
This is not minding the fact that the former Minister, who lacks integrity has taken his brother- in- law who lost out in the PDP governorship primaries to Labour Party, after the latter had earlier accepted the outcome of the PDP primaries and pledged support for Mbah.
The former Minister’s political fight against Gov. Ugwuanyi is not different from the fight he led against Governor Ugwuanyi’s successors for selfish interest and lost woefully.
If the former Minister can easily lose fight against Ugwuanyi’s predecessors that did not know him well, what made him and his co- travellers think they can defeat Governor Ugwuanyi who knows them very well and is better placed, accepted and positioned politically than them in the state, especially in Nsukka.
For now, the former Minister and his cohorts can continue to enjoy, hallucinate and fantasize, in the thick of time, they will realize that politics goes beyond social media rantings and grammatical gyrations.
Odinanwa, writes from Amagunze, Nkanu East LGA