A CONVERGENCE OF THE HUMPTY DUMPTY IN RIVERS POLITICAL HISTORY.
When issues are brought to the public space, it is actually for any concerned to lend a voice.
It is actually on this score that I espouse my opinion on what has become a topical issue, otherwise, what would concern me when folks and foes decide to meet either to have a cup of tea or discuss issues of interest to them?
So much weather have been made from this midnight meeting of folks and foes, converging perhaps at the behest of Engr. Tein Jackrich, whose fortress was donated as venue of the meeting widely celebrated on media space.
Different persons have held differently, opinions and conclusions.
Different bloggers and reporters have captioned and captured the mood in different facets.
Some celebrated to high heavens as though the Redeemer has come.
Yet, others have been so critical of the essence of the gathering at all.
I disqualify myself from being judgemental as to fathom who is right or wrong. My business here is therefore to lay bare, my own take.
I begin by asserting that I know All of the five persons shown in the video as attendees to the meeting.
I can also assert that bearing the unknown, I believe All to be bonafide citizens of Nigeria from Rivers State extraction.
At one point/time or the other, I have had some seemingly close dealings with All five.
THE MEETING:
It is within the inalienable Right of any Nigerian citizen to freely associate.
This is expressly covered under Freedom of Association as an index in Fundamental Human Rights, as contained in the grundnorm (Constitution)
WHAT WAS THE ESSENCE/TOPIC OF THE MEETING?
I am not a marabout to discern with some charms, what the topic(s) of discourse(s) is/are about.
I can only hazard a guess that it was not too far from
Politics, particularly the Rivers perspective.
This guess is strengthen with the slant as “Top Rivers Politicians meet at the residence of Tein Jackrich in Abuja.”
(Note: none of the versions I read, deviated from the political slant in reportage).
I am therefore, right in my hunch.
WHY THE HULLABALOO AROUND THE MEETING IN ISSUE?
This question agitated my mind and perhaps those of the commentators.
I have made out these questions to guide my offering thusly:
A. Was it to seek the Soul of Rivers State?
B. Was it to seek the soul of a Political Party?
C. Was it to strategise for a kind of fusion of Political Parties in RIvers State, in what is dubbed an “Accord?”
D. Were they there to fashion out panaceas to worrying/disturbing Political issues in RIvers State.
E. Was it an intention to speak in one coarsed voice, intended to subvert Justice?
Let me turn to these.
A. WAS IT TO SEEK THE SOUL OF RIVERS STATE?
It could be true that the reason for the hobnob of persons with diverse Political ideologies may be the pendant to take over the Soul of Rivers State.
Splendid as the idea may present, I dare say that the timing is crassly inauspicious or is it the case of the ghost with one leg and distance travel?
Rivers State is safely in the hands of a very new sheriff, elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
He has done just less than 6 months into a 4 year (first instance) tenure.
From available records, the present administration in the State which must be torpedoed (if it was the intention of the conspirators), cannot be judged so prematurely, as not responsive to Rivers State people.
What then is the obsession here?
B. WAS IT TO SEEK THE SOUL OF A POLITICAL PARTY?
I also fault it.
Reason; the gathering is half-cast.
There are chieftains of Social Democratic Party, SDP and nominal chieftains of APC.
Which of the Parties is the interest to hijack?
C. WAS IT TO STRATEGIES FOR AN ACCORD?
Well, it’s not impossible, but can a State branch of Political Parties form mergers?
By my vast knowledge of Political systems, only the National leadership of Political Parties are authorise for merger.
It is not Bottom to Top
This too, couldn’t be the reason
D. WERE THEY TO FASHION OUT PANACEA TO DISTURBING POLITICAL ISSUES IN RIVERS STATE?
I don’t also agree.
None is known to Rivers People.
Assuming there is/are, there are older and more experienced Politicians and Statesmen in Rivers State than the five who met and audaciously authorised the pictures and videos of the meeting to go viral.
E. WAS IT AN INTENTION TO HAVE A SINGLE VOICE TO CONFRONT THE SYSTEM FOR COMPENSATIONS AS THEY HAVE ALWAYS MOOTED INDIVIDUALLY AND SEVERALLY?
Yours truly is more than interested in this index.
Under this index, many more hypothetical questions are brought to the fore:
- What qualifies a politician at any particular epoch, for compensation?
- What does Natural law and Justice prescribe in the case of human endeavour and enterprise?
Has it changed or twerked or expanded to modify, modulate or outrightly negate the principle of Harvest (Sowing and Reaping).
To provide terse answers to these two encompassing hypothetical questions, I would say vividly that what qualifies a Politician to seek compensation from a system, is simply the ones overt contributions to the victory of the party/system.
Anyother consideration, is clearly an underhand.
Natural law and Justice prescribes that one reaps only where the one sows. No short cuts to this. Natural laws are fixed.
The issues of participation of these five to the electoral victory of Tinubu/APC in Rivers State have been flogged dead.
The clear facts are known to the President and National Party themselves.
For these five to convoke a meeting to helm up strategise to belie the system on already known truths, is both chicanery and hoax. It failed ab initio.
CONCLUSION:
Rivers State and her Politics are safe. None should contemplate holding midnight meetings to hit up the system via uncouth and uncanny means.
APC Rivers is intact with a defined leadership anchored/bestowed on faithful party chieftains.
Those who took out sabaticals and itching to return, should necessarily take dressing.
Leadership of a Political Party is not anyone’s birthright.
It must be unambiguously and crystal clear that a Top Politician is not in big Names nor Titles but by the one’s ability to win Elections.
Those five conspirators in the midnight meeting didn’t win and so, cannot be said to be Top Politicians.
Dakuku Peter-side contested Governorship Election in Rivers State in 2015, under APC and lost.
Tonye Cole contested Governorship Election in Rivers State in 2023 and lost.
Magnus Abe contested the Governorship seat of Rivers State under the SDP, in 2023 and lost spectacularly.
Austin Wokocha was the Chairman, Finance Committee of the SDP Governorship Candidate in 2023 and Lost in his ward.
Jackrich Tein flew a kite at APC Presidential Primary election and scored zero.
So, where is the Supermen in them?
These returnees should quietly allow peace and decorum hold sway or be prepared to face the corresponding backslashes.
Just to serve notice in advance that we have Certified True Copies of Governorship and Presidential Elections results in the following, LGAs, Wards and Units where the 5 conspirators voted as follows:
Opobo/Nkoro LGA
Ward 3
Unit 6.
Akuku Toru LGA
Ward 15
Unit 20.
Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni
Ward 7
Unit 14.
Gokana LGA
Ward 16
Unit 10.
Akuku Toru LGA
Ward 12
Unit 2.
I shall not be reluctant to disobey my toe~holder by posting the results obtained from INEC on the aforementioned interest areas, if these negative tendencies are not reined in.
Moreso, further revelations if they don’t recant and retrace their seemingly lepros steps, will be damning. We should all err on the paths of caution.
Chief Tony C Okocha Ksc DSSRS JP.
Port Harcourt
October 11, 2023.
