■It’s a farce,self-serving, and against Imo people’s interest
■Let Owerri zone wait for 2031
Again, the contentious Imo Charter of Equity championed by the Imo State Council of Elders has come under scathing scrutiny. The Charter has been described as intentionally designed to serve personal interests rather than the overall interest of Imo people.
An elder statesman in Imo State, Ndaa Paddy Obinna, posited that the Charter is ridiculous and untenable,considering the present political realities in the State. He made it clear that any Charter of Equity not premised on “truth, good conscience, fairness and equality of all the geopolitical zones in Imo State is a farce and should be discarded.”
Ndaa Paddy, who stated these in a chat with select newsmen in his Emekuku country home in Owerri North Local Government Area, also advised Governor Hope Uzodimma to distance himself from notorious calls hovering around the “so called Imo Charter of Equity as the Charter is against the true tenets of equity and justice ; and might diminish the governor’s goodwill and excellent works in the State.” He pointed out that “zonism and clannish politics have been the bane of Imo’s political development. Former Governors Samuel Mbakwe and Ikedi Ohakim never did that;they governed Imo with broadmindedness and sincerity.” He implored Uzodimma to be wary of those hiding under the unrealistic and anti-people Imo Charter of Equity to pursue selfish political agenda, stressing that he risks being betrayed by such people once he exits office as governor.
According to him, the Charter was founded on deceit, bad faith, and against any grain of justice and good conscience. “From my investigations, a man from Owerri zone was the Chairman of the purported Committee (populated by his cronies) who drafted the illegal and unpopular document.We know what transpired in the interface with the leadership of Imo State Council of Elders.Now,they want to hoodwink the good people of Imo State into acquicesing to that farce. That is not fair and,therefore, remains unacceptable to the people,” he emphasised.
Ndaa Paddy stressed that any Charter that does accommodate Okigwe zone completing their remaining four years tenure by 2028 is anti-democratic and against good conscience.He argued that the injustice of 2011 against Okigwe zone should be addressed first if the Charter is to truly reflect equity, fairness and justice,warning that injustice is an anathema in any civilised society. “If something happened wrongly in 2011, those who caused it should be courageous enough to say I am sorry; please take back what ought to be yours instead of heating up the polity with selfishly motivated inclinations.It is wrong to underate people,” he averred.
He opined that Governor Uzodimma should shun the sycophants around him and concentrate on ensuring that a person with proven capacity, national acceptability and visibility, who is dependable and reliable from Okigwe zone succeeds him. “Sustaining his marvellous accomplishments is fundamental here. All those hailing him now with ulterior motives will be his albatross if he does not stay away from them. Past evidences abound. Uzodimma has transformed Imo State and requires a capable hand with strong leadership mentality from Okigwe zone to continue and stabilise his achievements for Imo people. We do not want another experimentation with Imo’s governorship seat in 2028,” he reiterated.
In his words: “At 82 years of age, I owe Imo people the truth and wise counsel a father can give to his children. I must speak the truth without minding whose Ox is gored, in faithfulness to God and my conscience. Okigwe zone has remained short-changed in all ramifications. Owerri zone, where I hail from, can wait for 2031. All these grandstanding by phoney groups in Owerri zone, which keep changing their names randomly, are targeted at deceiving Governor Hope Uzodimma. They do not love him as they are pretending. I again advice the governor to beware of the ides of March.”
