*Sobbing with Ekweremadu: Gov. Ugwuanyi's Politics of Attrition and Vendetta.

By John Agbo (John Lead)
*
This write up is my very first commentary on what has become the fate of His Excellency, distinguished senator Ike Ekweremadu (CFR), ever since he was magically fizzled out of Nigeria politics. Like that unseen hand that always visits at the end of every man's sojourn on earth, Ekweremadu's departure from our national and state politics, came unannounced, unplanned, unexpected, confusing, dramatic, and now even seems carefully plotted. As a man within the category of people whom Late Chinua Achebe would describe as, "those having their palm kernel cracked by benevolence spirit" in our society, the former three times deputy president of Nigeria senate had his life and politics carefully planned and plotted so expectedly that those close to him had correctly predicted and read his body languages as soon as 2019 general election, which saw him winning the Senatorial ticket of his zone, the Enugu West Senatorial District for the 5th time was over. It was almost this time that all his foot soldiers and political followers in Enugu State began to water the ground in the media, for his now arborted gubernatorial ambition in Enugu State since the people's senator had announced in the hearing of everyone that he would not be returning to the red chamber by 2023. The rest is now history as the memories of how the state actors in Enugu politics led by Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, gradually undid, diminished, frustrated, castrated, ruined, bewitched and finally truncated the rightful ambition of senator Ike Ekweremadu are still fresh. In short, it is not within the scope of this piece to discuss in details all the intrigues applied by the governor in achieving his aims of crippling the political empire of Senator Ekweremadu in Enugu state. But we still remember how gov Ugwuanyi followed, trailed, monitored and tracked every steps taken by Senator Ekweremadu in order to arrive at his sundry defeat, made it impossible for the senator to participate in any Political party's primary election in the state. The madness demonstrated by the APC Enugu state led by a certain Chief Ugochukwu Agballa when Ekweremadu wanted to decamp to APC holistically betrayed the behind the scene crippling hands of governor Ugwuanyi on the opposition Party. As a writer I had since noted in one of my write ups that it was only the political wizardry of the Labour Party gunbernatorial candidate Hon. Barr. Chijioke Jonathan Edeoga that was able to beat the governor's politics of deceit, witch hunting, betrayal, etc following his emergence as a candidate in the upcoming general election.

But beyond seeing that senator Ekweremadu is decimated completely out of Enugu Politics, the governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has taken it beyond Politics by ensuring that the people's senator lose all he must have acquired in his over 20 years of political relevance in Nigeria. How else can one explain the speed of light with which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, used in securing a judgement that orders the seizure of over forty Ike Ekweremadu's property across the country and beyond. EFCC known for always dillying dallying in the discharge of its official duties suddenly developed 'Hussain Bolt' abilities and pounced on Ike Ekweremadu at a time he is down and painfully absent and needs the support of Nigeria government in his current ordeal in the hands of European authorities. As I write this governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in his seven years in Enugu government house, has been looking the other way whenever citizens of Enugu State call for the repatriation of Enugu State funds seized from former governor Chimaroke Nnamani and Peter Mba by the same EFCC many years ago. In fact, he has even secretly assisted Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani in recovering many of his property confiscated by the federal agency instead of helping the State repossess them from Federal government.

In our culture it is a taboo to hit a man who is down. But gov. Ugwuanyi has used every of his powers as a governor to subdue senator Ike Ekweremadu at his period of weakness and absence. And I ask how are we sure that the entire drama that culminated in the unfortunate endless detention of senator Ike Ekweremadu in far away London was not abinitio caused by the transactional governor of Enugu state?? Is it impossible that governor Ugwuanyi while tracking every political steps of Ekweremadu during the build up to the PDP Primaries, did stumble into the senator's family issues and decided to also exploit same to his advantage since the whole thing could catalyze the senator's final exit from Politics.

In the final note, it is usually said that Politics is a dirty game and that political sins are not forgivable. But are they enough reasons for our dear governor to keep tracking and plotting the downfall of a man who is already down and needs enough help??. The act of inducing EFCC by the governor with everything they needed to secure this bizzare judgement that has finally deepened the unfortunate troubles of Ike Ekweremadu remains the worst forms of man's inhumanity to man and should be condmned by all well meaning people of Enugu state. And as I sob with the man of the people and his family today, I call on everyone who is human to render every form of help he/she could, to our brother whom fate and love for his family has exposed to the evil dictates of his enemies. The help could be financial, spiritual, political, legal, familial, religious, etc. And yours sincerely has through this contribution offered the one I can.