By Justice Chukwunatu Nwafor
The good people of Imo State have something going for
themselves: they are characteristically discerning. They are wise, questioning
and inclined to verify any information before lending it credence. They are not
in the least credulous or gullible.
The fellow who wrote a fictitious story alleging that the
purchase of official vehicles for incumbent members of Imo State House of
Assembly was beset by sharp practices had the wrong end of the stick. He did
not reckon that Imo people are impervious to disinformation. Had he figured
that prudence is the second nature of Imolites, he would not have agreed to go
on the fool’s errand of conjuring up and peddling a fake scandal that would be
laughed out of court by the audience he had intended to deceive with his
hatchet job.
The ludicrous story, as published in local dailies, claimed
that the Deputy Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Okey
Onyekanma, placed his thumb on the scale of a recent procurement activity and
cheated his colleagues of 10 million naira each on the 27 vehicles bought by
Imo State government for the smooth running of the state legislature.
This narrative is false in substance and fact and it flies
in the face of reality. It would take suspension of disbelief to entertain the
idea that Hon. Onyekanma acted as he was falsely accused in the said
publication. Firstly, procurement is not within the purview of lawmakers. It is
a purely Executive function. Secondly, Hon. Onyekanma is a lawyer by profession
and has never at any time moonlighted as a vendor or car dealer. How, then,
could he have performed the magic of hijacking the procurement of the official
vehicles and cheating his colleagues to the bargain?
The truth is that the Deputy Speaker did not have the
remotest involvement in the procurement of the vehicles. Although he doubles as
the Chairman of House Committee on Rules and Business, his role was limited to
communicating to the Executive the need for honourable members to be adequately
equipped with suitable vehicles to motivate them to perform their legislative
duties with diligence, enthusiasm and dispatch.
The State Government saw merit in the request Hon. Onyekanma
made on behalf of his colleagues and consequently approached a commercial bank
for a loan to fund the purchase of the vehicles. The bank granted the loan and
conducted the purchase.
It, therefore, beggars the mind how somebody could fabricate
the lie that he took over the procurement and made a fortune out of it.
The malicious story is a product of the flight of fancy. The
author of that ludicrous fiction is a hungry soldier of fortune hired to
assassinate the character of Hon. Onyekanma. He was rented by individuals who
feel both intimidated and eclipsed by the rising profile of Hon.
Onyekanma.
Given that the buzzword of the Buhari administration is
fight against corruption and that His Excellency Governor Emeka Ihedioha is a
stickler for due process, the detractors orchestrated this smear campaign to
tarnish the image of the Deputy Speaker, a rising star with bright prospects in
Imo and national politics. They were under the illusion that they could pull
the Hon. Onyekanma down by hanging the millstone of a corruption hoax around
his neck.
The failed attempt to incriminate Hon. Onyekanma is also
explicable in the context of the unease of enemies of Imo State about the
harmony, stability and productivity of the 9th Imo State House of
Assembly. In the aftermath of the hotly contested house of assembly elections
which saw AA, APC, APGA and PDP winning seats, some cynics predicted that the
configuration of the House would make it a theatre of war and waited on the
wings to cash in on the chaos they imagined would inevitably ensue.
However, members of the House have disappointed the
perpetually salivating crisis entrepreneurs. From the onset, the legislators
turned their back on partisanship and resolved to put the interest of the state
first. In the House, cohesion, harmony and regard for the public good prevails.
This explains why Imo State House of Assembly ranks as the most prolific state
legislature in the country, having passed 18 bills since its inauguration in
June 2019 to date.
The brains behind this fake news are on a mission to sow
seeds of discord among members of Imo State House of Assembly. Fortunately, the
lawmakers know what is at stake. They are cognizant that, the state has
suffered 8 long years of scorched earth maladministration, they are obligated
to do their level best to support the Rebuild Imo administration of Governor
Ihedioha. They signaled that they are committed to defending the unity of
purpose among themselves by passing a vote of confidence on the Speaker of the
State House, Rt. Hon. Chiji Collins, and his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Okey Onyekanma,
in response to the fake scandal. This is bold warning that they are a united
house: no external force can ever crack their wall with divide and rule
tactics.
The Deputy Speaker, the object of this unwarranted libel,
served for 12 years as Senior Legislative Assistance and Chief of Staff to the
late Hon. Bethel Amadi who rose to become the President of Pan-African
Parliament. Hon. Onyekanma’s cumulative exposure and experience have positioned
him as a unifying factor in the House. Humble, personable and gentle, he goes
out of his way to ensure that his colleagues have a sense of belonging.
The Deputy Speaker has a thick skin. He knows that unfair
criticism is part of the burden of public office. He will remain unmoved by the
desperation of his hecklers. His eyes are fixed on his actualizing the
deliverables for which he ran for office. And he will never drop the
ball.
The mud slingers may well find another obsession because
they cannot stop the shining of the rising star.
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