Gov David Umahi’s anarchic tendencies and failed presidential bid, By Abia Onyike

On the 1st of December, 2021, Nigeria’s newspaper of record, PUNCH carried a news report titled, “Umahi Removes Aides, Suspends Others Over Five Consultants Abduction”. The report had it that Gov. Umahi suspended Permanent Secretaries from Effium Community and removed two Development Centre Co-ordinators in Ohaukwu LGA over “the lingering crises in the area which led to the abduction of five expatriate construction workers”. Umahi suspended the salaries of the Perm Secs. Though we condemn the criminal act of abduction and kidnapping, but believe that it borders on trite law for Umahi to continue his primitive acts of impunity and brigandage in the name of governing the state. How did he come about this macabre dance?

What is the relationship between the abduction and the seizure of salaries of Perm Secs. This is extremely wicked and quite typical of him. Is it the duty of the Governor to start punishing people without any form of authorization?

Who gave him the power to be this lawless and impudent? Has he set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crises in Effium? Were the Perm Secs indicted by such a panel? What kind of backward administration is Umahi bequeathing in Ebonyi State.

What will Umahi do if Gen. Muhammadu Buhari wakes up one day to order his removal from office for the numerous cases of insecurity, intermittent communal disturbances and rampant killings going on in several parts of the state?

I cannot even understand how Umahi’s mind works. The other day, three persons who were arrested and charged to Court over the killing of a young man in Afikpo South LGA were released on the orders of the State Attorney General who is Umahi’s agent in the State Ministry of Justice. A 36-year old young man, Kelechi Amos Irem was brutally killed and Umahi didn’t see the need to allow justice to take its full course but in Effium, the abduction of expatriates can lead to the dismissal of innocent Government functionaries. In the case of Ogwuma Community, the alleged killing by members of a notorious group, MORE KAN BE DONE was normal and the alleged killers must be protected and set free without trial. This is jungle justice and government of double standards as perpetrated by an anarchic ruler, a despot and brutal dictator.

Umahi does whatever he likes and nothing is ever held sacrosanct. No rules are applied. This is raw, crude and unfathomable. Umahi is making a mockery of the Courts in Ebonyi state and he should be called to order. We give it to him as the Head of the Executive Arm of Government but he should know that there is something called “Seperation of Powers” which is in the Nigerian Constitution. The idea of Seperation of Powers was enunciated by Montesquieu, a 17th Century French Philosopher and Judge before Umahi’s great grandfather was born. He should stop his archaic culture of bullying Judges and infiltrating into their duties. It is a shame that someone who has been battling with high level insecurity can come so low to be releasing accused criminals in a capital offence like murder. No wonder the case of unknown gunmen can never be resolved with the constant intervention in court trials to set free hardened criminals. Gov. Umahi is not satisfied with being Governor and Head of Executive branch of Government. He wants to be totalitarian. He will remain restless unless he controls the Judiciary, in addition to the enormous and illegitimate influence which he wields over the Legislature. Such a political obsession is an anathema and has never happened in a democratic society. Umahi may be a good student of Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), the conservative philosopher who taught the world the unethical and crude doctrine that the end justifies the means. But in world affairs, all Machiavellian operatives ended up as villains. They were often ignored by history for their shameless pursuit of naked self interest and callous cash payment.

Nobody remembers Joseph Stalin today for good, inspite of his heroism, because he was a murderer. But Leon Trotsky is worshipped with followers all over the world till today. Adolf Hitler is only remembered in a negative sense. But we still remember Rosa Luxembourg positively and hold her in high esteem for her anti-war campaigns. In South Africa, we never remember the Buthelezis, but we remember the liberation fighters of the African National Cingress- Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Joe Slovo, Ruth First, Chris Hani, Steve Biko etc . In the history of African military leaders, we hold J. J. Rawlings in high esteem alongside Thomas Sankara. Who remembers the likes of Sani Abacha or renegades like Mobutu Sese Seko or Emperor Bokassa? In the same vein, Umahi will never be remembered except for his evil deeds and destructive antecedents and for his stavartion policies targeted against civil servants( working and retired).

UMAHI’S FRUSTRATIONS AND OUTBURSTS OVER ASUU LEADERSHIP IN EBSU

In continuation of his anarchic and totalitarian bullying of other independent/autonomous bodies in the polity, Gov. Umahi often manifests his frustrations with the open society. He is jittery that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Ebonyi State University is not under his control, so that he can unilaterally dismiss its leadership as he sacks his own appointees. During his recent presentation of the 2022 budget estimates at Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Umahi threatened that he will go to Court to enable him remove the Executive of the Union.

He always wants to remove other people from office. He is the only person who cannot be removed, like the Rock of Gibraltar. Well, it is even good he has accepted that he lacks the powers to change the ASUU leadership, the way he ruthlessly destroyed and factionalized other Trade/ House Unions in the state in pursuit of his selfish aggrandizement. Let him go to Court and let ASUU meet him in Court. At least, he now appreciates that he cannot always have his way as an unbridled tyrant in an open democratic system.

UMAHI’S FALTERING PRESIDENTIAL AMBITION

Gov. Umahi has been distributing and sharing the resources of Ebonyi state to all kinds of people in Nigeria as part of his inordinate presidential bid.The other day, it was reported in the news that the #25m he doled out to Ohanaeze Youths Wing caused disarray amongst the youths. Not too long ago, I personally criticized Gov. Umahi for giving out #30m to Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka of Adoration Ministry, Emene, Enugu. Trailer loads of rice and yams sent by Umahi to Northern Nigeria are no longer news. Nigerians now make jest of Ebonyians as poor people who are only good at wasting the little resources they have, even while their citizens are rated amongst the poorest Nigerians based on reliable data from National Bureau of Statistics.

Umahi is punishing civil servants and retirees by withholding their salaries, emoluments, pensions and gratuities since 2015. Umahi introduced this evil policy in order to siphone money meant for civil servants for his useless presidential aspiration. A man whose government is indebted to workers, banks and foreign lenders is busy splashing public money in search of an illusive presidency.

While these are going on Gov. Umahi’s special task forces are at work in the Abakaliki metropolis extorting money from innocent residents and traders. They raid shops to impose punitive taxes on the poor traders, seizing their wares and dragging them on bare floor. The other day, the premises of a man who sells doors and plywood was invaded. Umahi’s agents looted his shop, carting away his doors and plywood. By the time the dust settled, the building materials had disappeared into thin air. That is the level of brigandage promoted by Umahi’s lawless government.

And his phantom/phoney presidential bid has hit the rocks. His party, APC is not looking in the direction of the South East or the North for the Presidential ticket. So, Umahi cannot be President nor Vice President. He is now meandering to see if he can go to APGA or return back to PDP to realize his mad ambition. But when the news broke last week, his foot soldiers started with the lying game.

Full of hubris and utterly shameless, they forgot that this was the same road they travelled in October, 2020 and they started the same journey with self- denial until they were caught red-handed. Umahi should be advised to put a stop to his continuous spraying of Ebonyi money on the streets of Nigeria, unless he wants to go the way of Joshua Dariye or Jolly Nyame, erstwhile Governors of Plateau and Taraba who are currently in a very unpalatable condition at the moment. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

UMAHI’S DAYS IN GOVT. HOUSE ARE NUMBERED

Gov. Umahi has less than 18 months to pack out of the Government House and hand over power to his successor on 29th May, 2023. This is the last full year budget he will operate as a sitting Governor. How time flies. This is the second to the last Christmas he will celebrate as an occupant of the Government House. Then he will begin to adjust to go into life outside power, after running a very unpopular government and stepping on toes. As the enemy of the people, he may arrange to go into a reticent hibernation, some sort of exile where he will remain incommunicado and reflect on how he brutalized humanity because of political power. Then God will judge him accordingly.

Ebonyians are looking forward to that day when their Chief Oppressor will leave office and they will sing songs of freedom in Thanksgiving. And that would be for those who will survive Umahi’s doomsday regime of starvation and impunity. We look forward to that day.

Abia Onyike is a former commissioner for information in Ebonyi State.