OBI: THE HIDDEN TREASURE OR “HARD CURRENCY ” IN IHEDIOHA’S GHANA SPEECH.

By: Sam. Onwuemeodo.

Perhaps, unknown to some people or to most people, as the case may be, the ultimate beneficiary of Emeka lhedioha’s speech in Ghana is Peter Obi. His Presidential ambition. Then, his Labour Party. lt takes the “third eye” to see or spot the silver linings. It takes deep knowledge of the psychology of the nation’s politics to appreciate the great thing, lhedioha had done for Obi in Ghana.

The salient benefits inherent in lhedioha’s speech in Accra , Ghana, all for the good of Obi.

As contentious as lhedioha’s speech in Ghana must have been made to look like, the good news remains that, it enlarged the political coast of Obi. His presidential chase or pursuit. And like l said, unknown to those calling for the head of the Mbutu Mbaise man.

l tender this. Not every envisaged or adjudged “negative” speech or action produces negative or anachronistic result. Some speeches or actions taken to be “negative” could produce attractive or lofty results. Very positive outcomes.

lhedioha’s speech in Ghana was favourable to Obi’s presidential bid. With his speech, lhedioha strengthened Obi’s Presidential pole or antenna. He increased or heightened the volume. Don’t believe me. But it is true. The truth. The whole truth. Nothing but the truth.

At the onset of Obi’s involvement in the Presidential race, the major step taken by his key opponents to shoot down the project was to give his outing lgbo coloration. IPOB tag. Ethnic emblem. To make it appear tribal oriented. And they have not relented. They are still on rampage to achieve that nasty goal.

The reason every security issue in any part of the South East, no matter how minor, has made headline or FrontPage in the media outfits under their control. We must always count our teeth with our tongues.

lf lhedioha had said in Ghana that, anybody not supporting Peter Obi, his Presidential voyage and his Labour Party are saboteurs, Obi would have lost . Labour Party would have lost. Opponents of Obi’s Presidency would have gone to market with that as blackmail tool. They would have become retailers of the speech and the essence would have been to achieve their aim of portraying Obi’s Presidential journey as the business of the lgbo only . It would have been devastating.

But lhedioha’s speech in favour of Abubakar Atiku and PDP and interpreted to be against Obi and his Labour party, had gone extra miles to dwindle the mischief of those marketing the clannish or IPOB leaflets against Obi’s Presidency. lhedioha, with his speech, further told the World that Obi’s Presidency isn’t an lgbo affair, but Nigeria project. Believe me.

And l tell you this , to strengthen my argument. Okechukwu lsiguzoro, an arch Obi supporter had last Wednesday, September 28, 2022, issued a statement and claiming to have done so as the Secretary General of OHANEZE Ndigbo.

ln the statement, he called for support for Obi, and added that, the nation won’t remain united unless an lgbo President in the person of Obi, emerges in 2023.

Twenty four hours after his statement, the Northern Elders Forum , NEF, reacted through its Director of Publicity, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, in which case, the man warned the lgbos against threatening the rest of Nigerians with the Obi Presidency.

With Ahmed’s statement, the National Publicity Secretary of OHANEZE, Dr Alex Ogbonnia issued a Statement accusing Isiguzoro of impersonation and also dissociated OHANEZE and Ndigbo from Isiguzoro’s statement. This is the crux of the whole matter. Some positive comments can produce negative results. But some statements considered negative could produce positive effects .

lsiguzoro thought he was doing a favour to Obi and his ambition. But it turned out to be counterproductive. But lhedioha said what some people saw or interpreted to be anti Obi and it metamorphosed into fortunes for Obi.

Was it not to the glory of God, that, a popular, vocal female Northerner, Aisha Yesufu, was the one who reacted to lhedioha’s speech in a video that went viral and she used lhedioha’s speech to greatly advance Obi’s Presidency. The hidden treasure or Hard currency in lhedioha’s speech in Ghana, all for the good of the Presidency of Peter Obi.

The woman was vocal and telling lhedioha that Nigerians have decided to work for Obi. And to achieve that , they would ” sabotage” Atiku and his Party, PDP. And also Tinubu and his APC.

One might not know the imports of Aisha Yesufu’s reaction in favour of Obi, leveraging on lhedioha’s speech. Courtesy of lhedioha’s contentious speech in Ghana.

These are the kind of developments that have continued to disarm those Labouring in total futility to reduce the momentum of Obi’s Presidential project with ethnic blackmail or propaganda.

Mind you, it was lhedioha, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, former governor of lmo state, an lgbo, from lmo State who spoke in Ghana promoting his Party, PDP and its Presidential candidate, Atiku. lt speaks volumes to the rest of Nigerians, all for the good of Obi .

OHANEZE has not issued any statement supporting Obi. And l like that , for obvious reasons. But Afenifere, Yoruba apex body, had issued a powerful statement endorsing Obi . And you think it’s ordinary?. lt’s because the IPOB or ethnic card thrown up by Obi’s contenders has not gained attention. No currency. No current.

Some people had also singled out the word “saboteur” as the reason for their anger against Ihedioha. Anything one has done to prevent or stop something from happening is sabotage. And the person, a saboteur. lt’s an English word.

So , if Nigerians use Obi to abort the Presidential bids of Bola Tinubu and Atiku in 2023 , they have succeeded in sabotaging their Presidential dreams. lf lam among them, it means we are all Saboteurs. So, what’s the big deal about the word?. Anyway, Bekee wu agbara.

The OBIDIENTS should be thankful to lhedioha instead of vilifying him, for the beautiful colour or aroma his speech in Ghana has added to Obi’s presidential mission.

lhedioha’s speech never had or done any iota of damage to Obi and his desire to be President of the Country in 2023 . Rather, it elevated the speed. The velocity. The value. A Critical analysis of lhedioha’s Ghana product would show the ornaments. And l stand to be contradicted.

There is also another angle to lhedioha’s assertion in Ghana. Follow me closely.

l am from the same kindred with lhedioha. ln 2015, l worked and voted against his governorship. Same in 2019.

ln 2015, l worked and voted for Rochas Okorocha. ln 2019 , for Uche Nwosu. And when some people “descended” on me on the basis of the fact that, lhedioha is my brother, they were reminded of my entitlement to freedom of choice. Democracy gave me that right. And all the relevant laws or ordinances equally granted me same right of choice. l am not also sure of supporting him tomorrow, if he runs again. lt all depends on those who would be running against him.

ln other words, lhedioha has been a member of the PDP. He was in the House of Representatives for 12 years. Like I had earlier said, he was Deputy Speaker of that House . He was two term governorship candidate of the Party. He was also governor on the ticket of the party. He is still in the Party. He belongs to Atiku’s group. With all these, he would not have left his Party and its candidate to campaign for Obi and his Labour party in Ghana no matter the way one looks at it.

Even in the law of self preservation , lhedioha should not have been expected to campaign for another party or for the candidate of another party for any reason. This is the fact. And sentiment can’t diminish or evaporate the obvious facts.

There is also no way all the PDP, APC and APGA members in the South East would abandon their Parties and candidates because of Obi and his Labour Party. This is the incontrovertible fact. lt does not matter how any one would feel about that.

l have my anger against PDP and APC. But the truth must be told. And seen to be told.

There are Northerners supporting Obi. Yoruba people and others , in their large number, are also supporting Obi. ln the same token, some people in the South East would also support Atiku and Tinubu , even when the duo are not honest to themselves. They have not been fair to the spirit of nationhood. They have not shown any regard for the oneness of the Nation.

ln the South for instance, with three geo-political zones, the South West had taken, taken , taken and wants to take again. The South South had taken, taken and wants to take again. The South East has not taken even one. Yet, the two brother or sister geo-political zones have never shown any regard or concern or sympathy for the zone that has not taken one. The South East.

lf it were to be Atiku and Tinubu only in the 2023 Presidential race, l would have opted for Atiku , until the South West and South South come to appreciate the fact that, South East is a major component of Southern Nigeria.

With the picture now, if Tinubu wins , he would stay eight years. Which means his zone would have taken sixteen years’ Presidency and eight years Vice presidency. And at the end of his tenure, it would go back to the North .

After the North and it comes back to the South , the South West and South South would also surface. l feel bad each time l cogitate about this ugly development.

l also take exception to mischief. The bad example of a man like Senator Chimaroke Nnamani. A two term governor of Enugu State on the ticket of PDP. A sitting Senator equally on the ticket of the party.

He is not supporting his Party and its Presidential candidate. Not supporting Peter Obi on the basis of brotherhood or the popular demand for the dawn of a new era. He has been listed in Tinubu’s Campaign Council. He has not denied that.

The Media Director of Tinubu’s Campaign Committee, Bayo Onanuga said, Nnamani is a ” very close friend of Asiwaju Tinubu”. Fine.

All the times he has been benefiting from the pdp and from Anambra people, he never remembered his friendship with Tinubu. Which means, he has been playing hide and seek. Very clandestine or nocturnal. You could imagine how cheap or deceitful some of these so-called leaders are.

That is to say, he has been having secret meetings with Tinubu, for his name to have appeared in the man’s Campaign Committee. And when most prominent members of APC in Enugu State could not make the list. These are the kind of morally weak leaders we expect the younger ones to look upto. No!!!.

Obi’s presidential train or flight would begin to appear suspicious to the rest of Nigerians any day the whole lgbo file behind him. Anyday, all the politicians in lgboland gather to say it is either Obi or no one else. Any day all those in PDP, APGA and APC in the South East would leave, for Obi’s Labour Party. That would obviously raise the eyebrows of other Nigerians. And that would be jeopardizing.

We should all know that good music only comes from the piano, when both the black and white keys are played.

lhedioha must have also been asking himself, who did this to me in Ghana?. ln Accra, Ghana? Not in Owerri, lmo State. Not in Abuja, Nigeria. lt all entails that political opponents or enemies could be anywhere.

At a time like this, men and women should beware or take heed of the fifth or fourth or third columnists. They do not sleep. They do not slumber. They do not snor. They could pretend to be your fans or supporters . They are always awake, looking for who to feed fat on.

The person who released the video of his speech in Ghana must have eulogized him there, calling him the Rt. Honourable or His Excellency or Omenkeahuruanya. But pregnant with mischief, with all the compliments.

And l quicken to say this. With what lhedioha’s speech in Ghana achieved for Obi, let other PDP and APC chieftains in the South East begin to go to Mali, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Libya, etal, to say similar things. That would be awesome. All for Obi. l wish l would be understood.

Let Governor Hope Uzodinma go to Sudan. Governor David Umahi , Libya . lfeanyi Ugwuanyi, Rwanda and so on. We are making tremendous progress.

You know what?. We are all pencils in the hand of the CREATOR. For 2023, something spectacular is bound to happen. It takes two to tango.

Nonetheless, we shall continue to clap for Jesus.