The ‘Anambra is not Imo’ taunt

Let me try my hand at humour to deliver a serious message.

I am not from Imo State. However, allow me to give those trolling Great Imolites something to think about. And to you, dear reader, something to chuckle as you digest this great defense of Imo State, the Heartland of a great nation called Nigeria.

To start off, what does Anambra is not Imo connote? Long before Anambra voters filed out on 6 November, netizens continually taunted Imo citizens, aka Imolites, on their election debacle of March 2019. According to the trollers, Anambra is not Imo means that Anambra people will emphatically reject the ruling APC party, unlike Imo State that embraced it. It also suggests that Anambra voters would defend their votes, which Imo State could not. Some went as far as to suggest that Anambra does not allow external parties to meddle in their domestic affairs of governance, unlike Imo. Others swore that no Supreme Court will have anything to do with determining election outcomes in Anambra state.

You know what they say about speaking untruth – tell it often enough and it will wear a toga of truth. This was the case with one responsible Imo citizen who not only bought this nonsense but also brought out a whip that he lashed out viciously at the backside of any Imolite whining in protect at “Anambra is not Imo” jibe.

Here is what this courageous Imolite said:

“We all (Imolites) should be ashamed of ourselves and stop prancing about accusing sane people from sane states of ridiculing us, when we have already ridiculed ourselves. Greed, avarice, cowardice and shameless iberiberism are the lots of a majority of us.” Choi.

The truth, however, is that there is absolutely no truth to the allegations embedded in the insinuation.

Today, as part of the propaganda for Anambra elections, the mantra of “Anambra is not Imo” has continued to rend the air. The taunt decibels increased dramatically after the 6 November partial election results were announced. Keep in mind that on their own election day, Imolites dutifully and peaceably filed out to cast their ballots, same as Anambra. They also choose Rep. Emeka Ihedioha, the PDP candidate as their Governor. Ihedioha polled 273,404 votes to beat his nearest challenger, Action Alliance’s Uche Nwosu (the ex-Governor’s brother-in-law) who scored 190,364 votes. APGA candidate Ifeanyi Ararume placed third with 114,676 votes. In other words, Imolites not only rejected the Governor and all his works, but also kept his party, the APC, at arm’s length.

For Anambra to be like Imo, her voters would not only have rejected the governor’s candidate but also kept the APC away from the top three finishers. No be so?

So, yes, Anambra is not Imo. The APC candidate, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, came a distant fourth, with a paltry 96,458 votes, as declared by INEC, the electoral umpire. What this means is that, going by the result declared by INEC, Anambra embraced APC more than Imo by voting the party into third place while Imo kept the party away from the top three finishers. Anambra certainly is not Imo, going by the official results announced by INEC.

Again, INEC did not declare the Imo election inconclusive. Neither did voting extend to a second day of balloting, as in you-know-where. Imo was a clean, clear and outright win for Mazi Ihedioha, the people’s choice.. Na kwa echeki, ndi trollers! Anambra is not Imo. Imolites did not equivocate; they knew what they wanted and went for it.

Could this “Anambra is not Imo” taunting be on account of the infamous bag of votes manufactured for counting to enable a loser to become the winner? Recall that INEC, the umpire, refused to admit and count those bags from Uzodinma’s miracle Centre where no other party scored a single vote! The Imo Electoral Tribunal in September 2019 threw away APC and its magic votes and affirmed that Ihedioha won. Two months later, the Court of Appeal ruled the same way. It was only when the matter left these lower courts to the Supreme Rocky Mountain that circus operators began doing a ghoulish dance. What were Imolites expected to do at that point? Import the Taliban from Abuja to burn down Douglas Building? Or force Uzodinma to an Okija shrine to swear that he did not win?

I come in peace.

The only thing one can say about Imo that mirrors recent happenings in Anambra is the antics of lawmakers and a deputy governor. After the Supreme Court chose a Governor for Imo, something strange and wonderful happened. There was an immediate scramble by some legislators to jump ship and swim to the promised land of APC. In the case of Anambra, something more fantastic occurred. Legislators and a deputy governor could not even wait for an election magic to be performed before dashing to the promised land.

On this small matter of national political behavior, as seen from the two states, Imo is clearly the Panadol; Anambra can be like Panadol…

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A decoy called Nnamdi Kanu

Prepare for exile, Ogbuagu

If I were you, I will begin now to prepare for exile. Because the radicals are about to take over the land. People like you are undeserving of the land.  +2348180605206

Your best writeup

A Decoy called MNK: Best write-up on the happenings in the SE. Igbo politicians are yet to understand what politics is – the struggle for political power. No man controls the center from far. Igbos must play politics now or risk being used as a political means of gaining power. Good write up. “Let he that has ear hear” Sunday Uwadiegwu Ekeh, Abuja

Awo did not cause the Civil War

Good morning sir. The crisis within the Action group and the political crisis in the old Western Region had no connection with the Civil war. Chief Awolowo had issues with Chief Akintola no doubt. A state of emergency was declared in 1962. Awolowo was put through series of politically motivated trials and eventually was jailed and kept in Calabar Prison and Akintola continued as the Premier.

In 1966, a group of Army officers staged a coup on January 15 and there was a counter coup in July 1966 same year and other gory events sadly followed which eventually led to the declaration of secession.

I need to set the record straight. I need to mention that the Western Region did not participate in the two coups both that of Jan and July, but they lost people e.g. the Premier, Chief Akintola, General Ademulegun and his wife. As at that time, General Ademulegun was the most senior Army officer of Yoruba extraction. He was killed. Colonel Ralph Shodehinde was also killed. Just to set the record straight and not justifying anything. 

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Insightful

Very insightful commentary!

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The leader Nigerians want in 2023

I foresee a protest vote

Mazi Ogbuagu, your analyses of the topic: The leader Nigerians want in 2023 is good. However, I seem to feel that the South West cherish the political subjugation of the entire South by the North; otherwise, they should have supported the South East to produce the president in 2023 since they (South West) have produced the president for 8 years and vice president for about 6 years within a period of about 22 years. I foresee a protest vote by the South Est in favour of a Northern candidate. The South West seems to be playing politics without conscience. From +234 806 651 8754

What Igbos are saying

Well written and well understood, distinguished compatriot. The Igbo fully sympathize with our Yoruba, Middle Belt, and other concerned brothers and sisters. No sane person anywhere in Nigeria is saying we should do nothing and just accept Fulani domestic imperialism and its enslavement. Igbo are simply saying: if other suffering Nigerians are sincere let them this time start and lead a serious resistance and the Igbo will join. Other Nigerians are right now seeing the Igbo being slaughtered without a serious condemnation either by a religious or ethnic body or individuals based outside the East. The Igbo are afraid of losing another 3 to 4 million souls or even more in the hands of Nigerian ethnic nationalities who complain of Fulani oppression but still join the Fulani to wipe out the Igbo. No evil is impossible to overcome – if people are united. For those seeking the conquest of others, there can be no change in their ambitions but for the targeted there can be a change in their response. Prof. Obasi Igwe.

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