WHEN BEING SICK IS A PATRIOTIC ACT

WHEN BEING SICK IS A PATRIOTIC ACT.
Jonathan Onumaegbu.
IF I WHERE UCHE OGAH AND ALEX OTTI– two factional party leaders desperately jostling for opportunity to rule Abia state at the expense of the functional and development -oriented incumbent, I would have quietly bowed out of this race, this obvious mismatch, and concentrated on how to achieve minimal internal integration and cohesion within their respective , wobbling and crisis – ridden parties.
Imagine these emerging politicians striving so restlessly to govern a State when they sadly enough cannot boast of massive support of members of their respective parties which parties constitute their bases and spring board from where they launch their weakened external political onslaught against the people.
If, as is evident, they lack what it takes to wield their albeit grossly depleted membership together as a people, what on earth is there to make anyone believe that they would be able to unite together the entire people of Abia, without which unity their vaulting ambitions — even if they were in the remotest possibility realisable—, would only result to a colossal disaster and a frustrating descent into a world of unending fracas, uncertainty and restless political conflagrations in the state. For sure they would certainly replicate their penchant for instability in the parties to administration of the state if the people foolhardily give them their votes.
How can assumed “leaders” who everything about them is till date, mired in controversy be seriously talking of presiding over the affairs of over five million Abians properly counted / assessed? Not even the nativity imbroglio of one of them has been settled till date. How can a citizen live in perpetual uncertainty of where his “governor” comes from or from where his ancestry belong?
What if such a “governor” is expected to fill forms which in Nigeria often entails one indicating his nativity or place of origin? What would such a governor do to douse the tension and loss of confidence in him that any controversial entries may generate ?
Yet Otti keeps gallivanting about unsure of what to promise the people that Ikpeazu has not already initiated or covered so far. Full to the brim with foul epithets to describe his established opponents who despite his massive failures have never one day insulted him or defined him in derogatory terms.
These factional leaders of their unstable parties are quick to always make very disquieting statements that make discerning minds wonder what really they are out for. Take for instance Uche Ogah who a few days ago reportedly said that only sick Abians would vote for our industrious and devoted Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. Imagine ! This is a man who consciously realises that millionsof votes that would be cast in Abia come February would be cast in favour of our Seminal Governor, if not for many other reasons, at least for his industrialisation strive and visions as detailed out in his Enyimba Economic City Project and his zealous strive for Small Scale entrepreneurial and industrial development of the state which have attracted the applause of even some well meaning opposition leaders here as well as international industrial magnets :for such a man like Ogah to term the teeming population of such meaningful voters as sick is to be mild about it, very revolting.
Ogah should be advised not to always throw decorum to the dogs in a bid
to say things he believes would diminish the score cards of his opponents. He should not always be identified with remarks that could compel his opponents to put a question tag on his sanity.. . . just to be able to run them down and possibly make way for himself to win elections.
If the millions of people that would vote for Ikpeazu , including many of Ogah’s kinsmen are sick, what then would one call the few tens of individuals from his, -Ogah’s- family who out of affinilial loyalty may decide to pitch their electoral tent with him.?
This unreasonable, baseless suspicion of the masses of the citizens as sick people is what a segment of medical experts refer to as paranoia. It is not a good leadership attribute. If voting for a devoted Governor means being sick, then being sick should now be hailed as a patriotic act.