Vehicular and business activities were, Tuesday, shut down as over 3,000 people peacefully processed through the major streets of the municipality, to register their anger over the planned impeachment of the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere.
Civil servants, school children and businessmen abandoned their vehicles and trekked the remaining distance to their destinations, as the human traffic took over the streets.
Some of the protesters were irked by what they termed “the grave injustice against the Deputy Governor, by some members of the State House of Assembly, via trumped up charges that will ultimately lead to his impeachment”.
The obviously angry protesters took over the streets of Owerri as early as 6am, chanting all manner of songs in protest. They levelled unprintable accusations against Governor Rochas Okorocha, including masterminding what they perceived as “kangaroo charges” against his Deputy.
While saying that “several patriots see Madumere as innocent of the charges levelled against him, the protesters however described the current crop of lawmakers in Imo State House of Assembly as “the worst Imo has ever had, since the commencement of the current democratic engineering”.
They accused the lawmakers of being “mere rubber stamp in the hands of Governor Okorocha, who controls the House as his personal estate, without reference to the feelings and aspirations of the citizenry”.
Some of the placards carried by the protesters read: “Okorocha leave Madumere alone”, “Okorocha must you foist your son-in-law on Imo people?”, “We are in Democracy not in familiocracy”, “We say no to Okorocha’s third term agenda”, “APC will not accept imposition of family candidate”, “NWC rise up before we lose Imo to PDP”, “We appeal to President Buhari to intervene in Imo Situation”.
Addressing newsmen, one of the leaders, Chidiebere Nworgu, a lawyer, lamented that “the state is sliding to a one man business, where an individual now treats Imolites with levity”. It was his considered view that this was the time to resist such undemocratic tendencies coming from Okorocha.
He called on the clergy and the elites to speak out against this injustice against Prince Madumere and other Imolites. “Where has Madumere derailed? This is a man who has been discharging his duties conscientiously, coupled with his infectious humility. Is it not the same Okorocha who told us that his Deputy Governor does not give him stress, which made him pronounce in various fora that Prince Madumere is his son in whom he is well pleased? We have not ceased to wonder what has changed between then and now”, Nworgu said.
Answering another question, the lawyer attributed the love lost between the Governor and his Deputy to Madumere’s insistence in taking his destiny in his hand by making himself available to contest the governorship of the State, against Okorocha’s resolve to foist son-in-law on the citizenry.
Barr. Nworgu explained that the Charter of Equity must be adhered to, insisting that it is the turn of Owerri zone to produce the next Governor in 2019.
Contributing also, Nze Stanley Onuoha stressed that there was nothing wrong in Madumere pursuing his ambition, pointing out that only God that gives power. He charged Nigerian politicians to stop playing God in pursuit of self-aggrandizement, even as he maintained that “the Deputy Governor is eminently qualified to govern the State with his education, cognate experience and exposure in corporate world, Governance and impeccable strength of character”.