By Onyeama Benedict (Esq.)
I am bothered about the level of moral decadence and shameless desperation being experienced on a daily basis, which undoubtedly is being orchestrated by some do-or-die political folks in Enugu.
We have never had it this bad in a political season, as this season is being bedeviled with such displays of bitterness of heart, youth incitement and heating of the political atmosphere for selfish gains, as could be seen in today’s Enugu power jostling.
Barely 24 hours ago, I stumbled on a video clip, which I must confess that its content was conjured by the most illiterate human of the century. A video clip aimed at subversion of a glaring truth that is known by all and sundry.
Pointing false accusing fingers at Peter Mbah, the Enugu guber candidate of the PDP is a shame. Mbah is where he is today because of his diligence, character and his innovative mind.
In the said video clip, the singer who through a clear investigation was discovered to be an Abuja resident contracted and paid by the embattled Labour Party guber candidate, Chijioke Edeoga to make a character defamatory video on a man with a sterling character like Peter Mbah. One of the members of Edeoga’s Media Team who pleaded anonymity made this known to us that Edeoga after paying the lady whose name was identified as Gloria Eze, a singer in one of the Pentecostal churches also contracted those who helped in producing its false sliding pictures.
This attitude of Edeoga has gone a long way in proving that truly he studied Law for only 18 months in Buckingham University and was never called to the Nigerian Bar, hence his mediocre understanding of the Nigerian law, little wonder he never practiced his said profession.
It is an elementary knowledge for every law student that section 137, 182, 66 and 107 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended states that a person contesting for any political position who has been sentenced accordingly by any court of competent jurisdiction, and who has completed the requisite term allotted him or her shall not hold any elective position.
Chijioke should also have known that the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act (2010), act no 5 also prescribed the punishment for an individual who embezzled public funds which most of its punishment isn’t less than a minimum jail term of 7 years.
Now, if Edeoga truly studied law and was called to the Nigerian bar, why can’t he approach the court to say that this individual who is a guber candidate should be disqualified for being an ex-convict?
Edeoga should equally have filed a petition to any of the anti-graft agencies to start a prosecution against the man he claimed had made away with Ego Ndi Enugu. But he never did because he is ignorant of the law and he knows the truth about how totally innocent the Mbah he is fighting is.
Edeoga forgets how he failed in all political positions he has held, and how Isi-Uzo cannot boast of one major project he did for them either as a Council Chairman, or as a member of the Federal House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As the Enugu Commissioner for Environment, he engulfed the state in dirt and refuge, all the streets dirtier than ever. As the Enugu Commissioner for Local Government Matters, he is said to have embezzled the N2b funds belonging to the Enugu Local Government Areas. He’s yet to debunk or defend this. No one keeps quiet when he’s not guilty. Ultimately, Edeoga should not be in the race until he clears his name off the embezzlement list.
It has never been an established fact to me or any patriotic citizen of this state that Mbah made his money through Enugu State politics. No, such has never been heard. I know that before Mbah became a Chief of Staff, he had built his first duplex in Lagos State at the age of 25 when Edeoga at 35 was battling to feed his newly married wife. I am equally aware that while Mbah was in University of East London studying Law at a very young age and equally training some sons and daughters of the indigents, Edeoga was still grappling to survive with his then plumbing work.
Most of the Pinnacle filling stations we see in numerous states in Nigeria today were established even before PDP was birthed in 1999; Peter Mbah has been in the oil business long before the commissioning of “Pinnacle Oil and Gas facility”, a today leading firm in the Nigerian petroleum downstream sector. Why then would a right thinking man concoct lies overnight to destroy the business and social image of his fellow Igbo man just for cheap selfish political gains if not that he’s clueless with no plan of his own?
If Edeoga knew about this for long, why hasn’t he told us about this ego Ndi Enugu all the while he has been winning and dining with PDP right from 1999 to yesterday that he ported to the Labour Party?
We should know that if anything is wrong with PDP as a party, the likes of Edeoga should not be exculpated. Edeoga is an integral part of PDP, if he had won the primary election and emerged the PDP guber flagbearer, would he condemn the PDP this way? Edeoga prior to PDP primaries was one of the eyes of Ebeano Dynasty, a political family that made him what he is, but he has suddenly turned to demonize them.
Before Mbah came into PDP in the early 20s, Edeoga had already built his duplex from the Isi-Uzo monthly allocation he got when he was the Council Chairman. The same Edeoga under the same PDP was sent to the House of Representatives and he misrepresented his constituents which led to his inability to win their votes for a second term.
While Peter Mbah was busy touching the lives of Enugu people through his charity, the Peter Mbah Foundation that he has been sponsoring with his hard earned money for years now, Edeoga was busy juncating, buying lands in Anambra, establishing Dogaz Motors in Abuja, building numerous hostels around the University environs in Nsukka, and sponsoring his wife’s studies abroad with money from Enugu resources which he should have used for the good of Ndi Enugu and to clean our environment as the Enugu Commissioner for Environment.
Edeoga is already inebriated with frustration, hence his incessant attacks on every other guber candidate in Enugu State.
I believe in men with proven track records of achievement who have done well in the private sector of our economy than a regular career politician who has no other major thing he has done except politics and living off the state coffers.
I therefore, exhort all well meaning individuals of Enugu State, the national Labour Party officials to call Edeoga to order as his actions are totally unbecoming of the character, capacity and integrity being championed by their presidential candidate, Peter Obi. Edeoga is an anathema to the character and progress of the Igbo nation.
