Uche Nwosu’s Arrest Controversy: The Facts And Merits Of The Matter

NJOKU MACDONALD OBINNA

A variety of methods are carefully and critically deployed in getting audience while promoting or pushing one’s political view, in pressing home one’s salient points and exercising one’s force of argument through superior opinion during political debate. 

Thursday night, 30th December, 2021, millions of Nigerians  around the world tuned to Channels Television as Mr. Kayode Okikiolu, in Politics Today programme, engaged Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, former Chief of Staff to the Imo State Government House and Barr. Daniel Bwala, an APC spokesman, who represented the Imo State Government after the controversial and embarrassing arrest of the former by joint security forces acting on the alleged order of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, last Sunday; during an outing thanksgiving of Ezinne Jemimah Nwosu, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu’s late mother, at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Eziama Obirie, Nkwerre LGA, Imo State.

Barely five days after the controversial arrest of Uche Nwosu, the print media, new media, electronic media and social space had been awash with series of accusations and counter accusations from the supporters of both parties, name callings, varying opinions, interpretations and misinterpretations, defenses, blind arguments, poor analysis and dangerous attempts to divert attention, as paid media hirelings and hack writers rolled their sleeves to work while our collective peace in the cyber space is polluted like black sooth.

However, staying glued to the television with rapt attention as an independent publisher and opinion moulder during the programme, I can honestly say without being guilty of sounding immodest that Ugwumba Uche Nwosu was prepared for the debate and was also in total control as he kept his narratives straight to the point, equipped with facts, and was responding to the questions thrown at him by the moderator – Kayode Okikiolu, with such endearing vivacity while getting sympathy from the viewers across party lines and geopolitical zones being a victim of political persecution even when he is no saint. 

 Unfortunately, the present government has continued to take actions and decisions that usually keep it under undue public opprobrium and political bashings. Who is Daniel Bwala? A lawyer, public analyst and APC chieftain from far away Borno State. 

Bringing a stranger from the North to defend Imo State Government in a home affair is not only ridiculous and a slight to the Shared Prosperity Administration, but a big indictment of Governor Hope Uzodimma’s leadership inability to make out time and thoroughly assemble his ‘Best First Eleven’ to run a proactive, responsive, constructive and effective people-based government.

Where are the likes of Barr. Enyinnaya Onuegbu and Dr. Fabian Ihekwueme? What about his SA on Political Matters, Dr. Batos Nwadike?  Sound, articulate, vibrant, proactive and smart political tacticians that have all it takes to defend the government, its policies, and restore her fast denigrating public   image are left out? Does the government lack human resources to engage Chief Uche Nwosu on a widely followed national television like Channels? Bringing a stranger, who is not on ground and couldn’t pronounce Okorocha, Uzodimma, Ihedioha, Nwosu, etc, to represent Imo State Government does not only sound alien but also reflects the leadership style of the governor, who finds it difficult to relate with the people at the grassroots.

Just like in football, arguably, the greatest game to grace the world. Watched, adored and played in every aspect of humankind. No good coach goes to any serious competition or tournament without featuring his best first 11 players.

On the contrary,  at assumption of office as Imo State Governor, on 15th January, 2020, His Excellency, Governor Hope Uzodimma, started on wrong footings by appointing ‘his men’  as a way of compensating them rather than look out for seasoned administrators, financial experts, policy formulators, political strategists, and a carefully selected economic team that could help him drive the 3R Policy Thrusts of his Administration given the circumstances that brought him into power. 

Admittedly, while there is nothing wrong in compensating your friends and political allies with appointments, but sacrificing merit over friendship is also a disservice to the oath of office  under which mandate you promised to serve ndi Imo. This is what stands Chief Emeka Ihedioha out within the short period of time he held sway as an ‘illegal occupant of Imo State  governorship seat’ going by the controversial Supreme Court verdict.

While Imo people may have objected the choice of Lai, sorry, Chief Declan Emelumba, Commissioner for Information & Strategy, why not look for a smart and thoroughbred party man to defend the State Government on a weighty issue like this?

Where are the likes of Ogubundu Nwadike, Collins Ughala, Modestus Nwamkpa, FCC Jones Onwuasoanya, Cajetan Duke, Nnaemeka Okafor  and Samuelson Iwuoha?  Are they only good at defending and fighting for the Shared Prosperity Administration on WhatsApp groups and Facebook? The above reinforces my argument that Governor Hope Uzodimma pays little attention in raising a new crop of leadership in the state with his alleged poor reward system, which I doubt he may want to improve on until a few months to the next general elections. When it might be too late.

If he had raised men, there wouldn’t have been any need to look elsewhere for someone to defend him on a national television. When you practically engage, empower and give some good  exposure to your awowed supporters and trusted loyalists, you see them perform optimally and at their best. A secured leader  doesn’t reduce his men to ‘Hallelujah boys’ to borrow a leaf from Ikenga Imo; but he grooms them into bold and independent minds that could take up issues for discussion in the public domain and also defend him.  

No doubt, a well groomed and empowered Uche Nwosu dusted Daniel Bwala in a number of his expositions while the Borno State  born Abuja based public analyst was busy chasing after cloud and calling names; Okorocha and Ihedioha, who were not on the programme with him.

Many of the viewers were almost overtaken by emotion, sympathy and soft spot for a well composed Ugwumba Uche Nwosu with his intelligent submission as he narrated his ordeal and reiterated thus: “Okorocha is my father in-law and no father in-law keeps quiet when his son in-law is in danger”.

Uche Nwosu was confident, relaxed, equipped with facts and free minded. He might have won the fight but not the war! The coming weeks and months promise to be interesting with underlying political intrigues and melodrama.

Judging from the above therefore, the dirty blow meted against Governor Hope Uzodimma’s public image by Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu and their handlers in the past few days with the background assistance of the Nigerian media, which seems to be on the side of the crucified rather than the justified, will linger for a while. 

To this end, let me candidly advise His Excellency Governor Hope Uzodimma to do well by going for a return match to savage his  battered image in the public space by the Okorochas, but he must be circumspect in doing this as the opposition against his government seems to be mounting on daily basis as a number of those who had worked with him before may soon join the bandwagon.

He should also do well to tell the story himself; no stranger or hired spokesperson can ever express your feelings better than you do. “He who wears the shoe knows where it pinches him.” 
So far, his team of image makers and handlers are losing the media war with a touch of classified mix of political propaganda and scaremongering approach by the opposition.
This is an undiluted truth and irrefutable fact. They can ignore it at their own peril. This government, as a matter of urgency, must  sit up to change the narrative ahead of the impending political onslaught against it, before it is too late.

– Njoku MacDonald Obinna,
Publisher, 4th Estate Reporters.