17th May, 2010

CONCERNED IMO CITIZENS

PLOT 98 IKENEGBU LAYOUT EXTENSION, OWERRI

His Excellency
Dr. Goodluck Jonathan
President & C in C
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Presidential Villa
Abuja,

Sir,

Open Letter on attempts by Gov. Ikedi Ohakim to mis-inform you on Imo State

As indigenes of Imo State and citizens of Nigeria, we deem it absolutely imperative and patriotic to bring to your attention, the desperate attempts by the Imo State Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim to endear himself to you through misinformation, manipulation, blackmail, character assassination and shameless political gimmicks. This has become necessary in view of his current mobilization of political jobbers in Imo State masquerading as leaders to petition you on developments within the state and also endorse him for a second term. Already, the so- called leaders have been paid stipends to generate petitions against the genuine leaders of Imo people, such as former Governor, Achike Udenwa, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, Chief Rochas Okorocha. Senator Sylvester Anyanwu. Senator Chris Anyanwu, Chief Festus Odimegwu, Hon. Stanford Onyirimba, Barr. Ziggy Azike among others.

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We make haste to remind your Excellency that the Ohakim Government in Imo State is a political accident which occurred as a result of the high-handedness of certain former leaders of the PDP who were misinformed about the situation in Imo then. His election remains a shame waiting to be redressed by the Supreme Court.

Since your assumption of office as President, Ohakim has gone back to his familiar gimmicks to bulldoze his way into your inner circle as he did under late President Umaru Yar’Adua. Like Nicodemus in the Bible, he would sneak into your inner chambers to pledge loyalty, but beware and take whatever he says with a pinch of salt. This is a man who shamelessly lobbied President Yar’Adua, his aides and associates to help in positioning him strategically to run with Yar’Adua as Vice-Presidential candidate in 2011 despite the fact that he cannot run Imo effectively. It is no secret that if things had gone Ohakim’s way, you probably would not have even been re-nominated as VP to Yar’Adua in 2011 if he were still alive.

It is on record, that the protest march held in Owerri in support of late President Yar’Adua which was also aimed at frustrating attempts to make you Acting President then, was sponsored by the Imo State Government. Governor Ohakim was one of those who employed all gimmicks in the books to deceive Nigerians on the state of health of late President Yar’Adua. He claims to be a  member of the cabal that spent enormous resources in a vicious plot to stop you from assuming constitutional powers as President. Regrettably, he has bounced back as champion of your interest with a hidden agenda. Again, it is on record that Governor Ohakim was the major pillar behind former National Chairman of PDP, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor. In fact, he was the arrow-head of the Group that coerced Ogbulafor to announce your exclusion from the 2011 Presidential race. Here is a man who sponsored his Special Assistant on Youth Development to organize a National solidarity rally in support of Ogbulafor, but jumped out of the boat and abandoned Ogbulafor to his fate when it became apparent that the ship steered by Ogbulafor would capsize. Ohakim, it was, who also influenced the South-East Governors to state categorically that you could not take over because President Yar’Adua would return.

While President Yar’Adua was alive, Ohakim deceived him into commissioning fake projects such as: the Okigwe Regional Water Scheme which was built by late Chief Sam Mbakwe when he was Governor of the old Imo State. The project was repainted and commissioned by President Yar’Adua. Today, there is no pipe borne water anywhere in Okigwe. Also, the Oak Refinery is a huge deceit. It was commissioned and today weeds have over-grown the proposed site despite the millions that have been allegedly pumped into it.

Mr. President, we weep as we write you this letter because of the economic misfortune and retardation which Governor Ohakim has foisted on Imo State. The Local Governments are in a comatose state as a result of constant misappropriation of their allocations by the State Government. Also, several Imo workers are being owned salary arrears and even pensioners cannot be paid. There is pervasive insecurity in the state with the Governors political opponents as major targets of kidnappers and contract killers.

We plead, Mr. President that  you order an independent inquiry into the developments in Imo State and ascertain how Chief Ohakim is ruling our state. He is not in touch with the people because the grassroots is controlled by Senator Araraume, Chief Udenwa and Chief Rochas Okorocha, the same leaders he is accusing today of destabilizing Imo State.

Mr. President, Governor Ohakim has embarked on strategies for re-election. He is now compelling Local Government sole Administrators to procure endorsement for him from the 27th Local Government Areas in the State. He is equally compelling certain people to tell your Excellency lies about the PDP. He does not also need to blackmail the true leaders of Imo State before the National leaders of the Party.

If Ohakim has performed as a Governor, he does not need to embark on fraudulent procurement of endorsements and votes of confidence by political turn coats and jobber.
In a nutshell, the questions Ohakim must answer include:
(a)     Where has he kept all the borrowed funds? It is on record that his government has borrowed more money than all the previous governments in Imo put together.
(b)     Where are the projects for which he claims he borrowed the funds?
These projects are:
Midwest Airlines, OAK Refinery, Oguta Wonder Lake, the Nuclear Energy Project, the new Government House, Nworie Street Dredging. The Ring Road linking all the Local Government Areas and the Boulevard.
(c)     Where are the funds, he raised from the Capital Market?
(d)     Where are the proceeds from the Scratch Cards he made widows and poor people in the state to buy under the guise of proving 10,000 jobs for the people? Imo State has no single functional factory and workers in the state are still being owed three months salary arrears. Where will the jobs come from?
(e)     Why has the governor continued to boast that he has the judiciary in his pocket? Our worry is that he has been funding the several litigations against his election with public funds.
(f)     Why has he shut his eyes while miscreants associated with his Government continue to kidnap, rape and maim Imo People, particularly relations of his political opponents.

Those who have fallen victims so far include: the mother of Hon. Standford Onyirimba who was kidnapped and strangled to death, Chief Peter Orji, Chief Magnus Orjiakor maong other. Chief Orji is the Imo State Treasurer of PDP while Orjiakor is the Deputy Chairman. They were kidnapped, beaten and abandoned half dead. The list of the victims is endless. Today, the Federal Government deducts about N358 Million monthly from Imo State allocations source. This is as a result of the several questionable projects of the Ohakim administration which have put heavy financial burden on the resources of Imo State.

Former Governor Udenwa left Imo at zero deductions in 2007. The Ohakim Government has received more money in three(3) years than Governor Udenwa got in eight(8) years. What has he done with all the money?

All Ohakim’s fake projects end up at consultancy levels. Once the consultants are paid the projects are abandoned with the drawing kept permanently in his drawers.

Mr. President, we appeal to you to be wary of Ikedi Ohakim. This is because of his history of ingratitude to all those who assisted him in the past. As he schemes to sneak into your kitchen cabinet, ask him what has happened to his relationship with the man who allowed him to run on the platform of his Party, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, former Governor Udenwa who made him Governor, Chief Hope Uzodinma who helped procure some results for him and Senator Araraume who nominated him a commissioner under Chief Evan Enwerem. He is today on war path with all these personalities. Who do not want you to fall a victim to this man.

In 2007, Ohakim was disqualified by the PDP South-East Zonal Governorship screening Committee. After his disqualification, he sneaked into the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA). He never challenged his disqualification anywhere till date. His reason for keeping quiet is clear to those who know him very well. Since 1999, Ohakim has been in and out of almost all the major political parties in the country. He was in APP, AD, PPA and now PDP. He is the most mobile politician in the country. Records also show that he is the most traveled political office holder in the history of this country.  The days he has spent in Imo since he was sworn in, put together, cannot be up to three months.

The caretaker Committee which was set up for him by the former National Chairman cannot fly following several Court orders that have declared it illegal.

Furthermore, the formation of the Imo Alliance for Good Governance by Chief Udenwa and Senator Araraume has kept Ohakim hanging in the air. The few political jobbers who lick his boots have no political bases as they are renegades.

Today, Ohakim’s bill boards litter the streets of Owerri and other major towns in the state. He directed his thugs to pull down bill boards mounted by other politicians. He has also directed that no posters of any other Governorship aspirants be pasted anywhere in the state. The attempt to generate petitions from the 27 Local Government Areas in Imo and endorsements for his second term is meant to misinform you on Imo State and portray his opponents as paper tigers. We are perturbed that Ohakim, as the national Pay Master, is prepared to buy his way into Presidential circles again. His hidden agenda is to become president through the back door even when he has achieved nothing as governor.

Currently, he is pumping hundreds of millions into attempts to produce the next National Chairman of PDP. While he is ready and willing to deploy state resources to this purpose, other PDP Governors in the South- East who are more prudent are not bent on wasting resources. If Ohakim’s candidate emerges, his journey to the Presidency would have begun. His Schemes to dislodge you at the right time would have equally started working. The question, to ask is who is Ohakim? What job was he doing before April 28th 2007. Also what records does he have?

We believe that providence has made you President at this crucial time in our history for a positive purpose. We appeal to you to avoid men such as Chief Ohakim and his likes in order to remain focused and surmount the challenges which fate has laid on your shoulders. Accept our high regards and abiding solidarity.


Comrade Samuelson Iwuoha                                Hon. Bernard Nwanedo