“PUBLIC FORUM ON APRIL 2011 ELECTIONS:  FOCUS: IMO STATE ASPIRANTS.”
Thursday, March 10th, 2011

The Catholic Bishops of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province announced a public forum on the April 2011 General
Elections with a special focus on the Governorship Aspirants of the two States of the province – Imo and Abia.  The Abia State forum held at Umuahia on Thursday March 3, 2011, while the forum for Imo State was scheduled for today Thursday, March 10, 2011 at Maria Assumpta Cathedral Premises – Obiri Odenigbo from 10:00 a.m till 2:00 p.m. It actually lasted until 3:00 p.m. The Forum was organized by the Owerri Provincial JDPC, Department of Church and Society. Over fifteen thousand people witnessed the debate which was carried by several radio and television channels as well as news organizations.

Traffic came to a standstill as vehicles headed to the lecture from all corners of Owerri.  People came on foot and on tricycles undeterred by the ninety degree temperature.  Twelve Gubernatorial candidates were present including the sitting Governor Ikedi Ohakim of the PDP, Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Rochas Okorocha of APGA and Senator Ararume of ACN. Candidates were asked to tell the audience in ten minutes why they deserve the people’s vote. The order of presentation was determined following a number’s raffle. Governor Ikedim Ohakim was the sixth to speak, Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba was the eleventh.

The presentations went smoothly until the incumbent Governor Ikedi Ohakim mounted the rostrum for his ten minutes of presentation.  He started by listing all the accusations against him and trying to debunk them – over-borrowing, Oguta Wonder Lake project, demanding N2000.00 job application fee from unemployed young people totaling N16 million (which was eventually refunded); the billion Naira Nworie River draining project; the Refinery at Egbema; Air Midwest; his unfortunate encounter and the flogging of a Catholic priest; school fees that went up from ten thousand Naira to over a N150,000.00 Naira. All hell was let loose as the people shouted him down after two minutes and he threatened to leave the forum. His Grace Archbishop Obinna had to leave the rostrum and to sit down with the group that most appeared to be disturbing the proceedings.  It took His Grace Archbishop Obinna, the police, army and civil defense and other agencies some thirty minutes to restore sanity to the proceedings. When Governor Ohakim resumed, his rhetorical question style exacerbated the situation. When he tried to explain the flogging of the Catholic priest, Archibishop Obinna and the crowd chorused: “Don’t go there!” His allotted time was over. He demanded two extra minutes to make up for the interruptions. The Archbishop gave him five more minutes.  The crowd was uniformly restive and impatient with him.

Senator Ararume when he spoke, promised free education on all levels if he becomes governor.  He criticized the Ikedi Ohakim government for the high debt profile of Imo State and the celebration of non-existent projects from the refinery to the dualization of roads, from the non-existent Oguta Wonder Lake whose funds obtained from Bonds had been completely drawn down with nothing to show for it to the non-payment of teachers and civil servants.

Owelle Rochas Okorocha, APGA Gubernatorial Candidate, spoke about how he (Rochas) would have been thePresident of Nigeria if he had not been beaten in 2007 PDP primary by President Yar’Adua.  For him becoming Governor of Imo State was a descent not an aspiration. He narrated the number of scholarships he had given to students and orphans across Imo State. Not once did he mention a single specific item or program his government would carry out. The response to his speech in half the time allotted to him was thunderous and the applause deafening. As he waved his wand at the end of his oratorical presenting, half the crowd in the forum stood up against all protocol and laid down code of procedure and started chanting his name and trooped out of the podium. Archbishop Obinna exclaimed: “Thank God, the hired thugs have left the forum.Praise the Lord!” The rest of the still very large crowd shouted in unison “Alleluia!” It turned out that the Rochas group had bussed thousands of young people from Imo and Anambra to the forum. This group were still eating and drinking in the Church premises when the session ended at 3:00 p.m.

Hon Emeka Nwajiuba, the CPC candidate’s speech had a calming effect on the audience that listened attentively. He was the youngest of all the Gubernatorial candidates. He appealed to the audience to note down the program of CPC, and the symbol of the party which is the “PEN” symbolizing the importance of education.  The party and the candidates stand for honesty, integrity and accountability. He stated that by the grace of God he will become the Governor of Imo State, he stated that he would implement programs such as ensuring that teachers and civil servants will be paid the same day the Executive and Legislative arms of Government receive their pay. Four years is enough for any Governor to carry out his programs. He will not run for a second term. He gave the example of Governor Sam Mbakwe who within four years did so much building roads, infrastructure and several industries which today are abandoned or comatose.  In partnership with the private sector, these industries will be revived and the new operators given twenty-five years to recoup their investment as long as they continue to create employment and pay at least the prescribed minimum wage.  Education will regain its pride of place in Imo State and healthcare development would be a priority of his government. His soothing voice, humility and concrete suggestions won the admiration of the people. He stressed the fact that Imo State cannot afford to maintain the life style, flamboyance the inordinate display of wealth and endless array of expensive cars displayed by some of the candidates and their entourage. Imo State cannot afford the extravagant life style of those who spend millions of Naira on Champagne but claim they have no money to pay teachers and civil servants.  Emeka Nwajiuba’s government With Dr. Mezu would rather use the Governor’s security vote to pay University Professors in order to avoid the closure of institutions of higher learning. His presentation was disarming and as the participants trooped out of the forum, the recurrent refrain was “Emeka Nwajiuba is the man and the next Governor of Imo State.”

Report by Emenike Alozie
Freelance journalist

My brother how are you? Imo guber election is turning to the most controversial this year, as everyone is interested. I witnessed the event and can give eye witness account of it.

In the first place, there was no specific statistics of the number of eye witness in the event. The audience in the debate is not up to 4,000 not to talk of 15,000 as you said.
The worst experience on the event that annoyed everybody was the kind of intimidating crowed and thugs bought by Rochas to the debate. It was said that he organised a meeting with these thugs in his hotel a day before this debate. He allegedly paid them to come and cheer him up and boo his opponents. This attitude proves is bad!

By the way let me digress a little. You must be an idiot to have coined lies against his Lordship (bishop Obinna) and the imo state governor. Because there was nothing like such things in your third paragraph. The governor never caused any commotion, the only problem in the debate was the unrest and noise created by Rochas’paid noisemakers. Meanwhile remember that Rochas is yet to prove himself innocent of the ogboni case…
As for Ararume (The killer according to OBJ), he can’t do anything for imo state. He will only continue in his dubious acts with Udenwa while he was in office. What has he achieved since his 8 good years in the senate house? He couldn’t even answer his names in invitation by imsu students on their convocation ceremony. He is a thief!
Is it not the same Emeka nwajiuba that promised nothing but free sandals for primary school students?
I watched him over the T.V Screen during the NUJ Governorship debate, he was asked how he is going to achieve that and he said that he will learn on the job.
So is our government house now a place for trial and error? or where people can go to learn how to lead and execute?

Please stop this type of freelance journalism bother. It will not help imo state. Say the truth.

ezecharles:

My brother how are you? Imo guber election is turning to the most controversial this year, as everyone is interested. I witnessed the event and can give eye witness account of it.

In the first place, there was no specific statistics of the number of eye witness in the event. The audience in the debate is not up to 4,000 not to talk of 15,000 as you said.
The worst experience on the event that annoyed everybody was the kind of intimidating crowed and thugs bought by Rochas to the debate. It was said that he organised a meeting with these thugs in his hotel a day before this debate. He allegedly paid them to come and cheer him up and boo his opponents. This attitude proves is bad!

By the way let me digress a little. You must be an to have coined lies against his Lordship (bishop Obinna) and the imo state governor. Because there was nothing like such things in your third paragraph. The governor never caused any commotion, the only problem in the debate was the unrest and noise created by Rochas’paid noisemakers. Meanwhile remember that Rochas is yet to prove himself innocent of the ogboni case…
As for Ararume (The killer according to OBJ), he can’t do anything for imo state. He will only continue in his dubious acts with Udenwa while he was in office. What has he achieved since his 8 good years in the senate house? He couldn’t even answer his names in invitation by imsu students on their convocation ceremony. He is a thief!
Is it not the same Emeka nwajiuba that promised nothing but free sandals for primary school students?
I watched him over the T.V Screen during the NUJ Governorship debate, he was asked how he is going to achieve that and he said that he will learn on the job.
So is our government house now a place for trial and error? or where people can go to learn how to lead and execute?

Please stop this type of freelance journalism bother. It will not help imo state. Say the truth.

so whom are you supporting?