*THE N450M SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST IDEKE EXPLAINED*
Now that Barrister Okey Ezea (Ideke) is the senatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Enugu North district, his opponent Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi's minions have resurrected a fairy tale that had been busted in 2015. The falsehood that he was given N450m for the APC campaigns in Enugu State was manufactured by Chief Anike Nwoga and spread through the media by Osita Okechukwu after the election won at the centre by the APC and Muhammadu Buhari was elected president.
Osita Okechukwu and some other big shots from Enugu State, who were interested in becoming minister, decided to smear the image of Ideke to ensure they got the ministerial position for the state, though Ideke was the pillar on which APC stood in Enugu State from 2014. He was the party's governorship candidate.
As a media man, Osita Okechukwu organised press people, fed them with lies and purported same to have come from Chief Anike Nwoga. That's how N450m was concocted as money made available for Enugu APC and was "pocketed" by Ideke!
Ideke immediately reported the criminal defamation to the Enugu State Police Command and Anike Nwoga was arrested and transferred to the State CID. It took the intervention of some prominent Nkanu leaders, including the then chairman of APC, for Anike Nwoga to be bailed from the police. Anyone can verify this.
The falsehood peddlers mentioned figures ranging from N450m to N600m, but nobody could establish the truthfulness of same. The truth, however, is that the liars all had one objective: to ensure that Ideke wasn't made a minister. As fate would have it, none of the people who fabricated the falsehood got the ministerial position anyway.
With the benefit of hindsight, we now know it's obvious that the hands and legs of GBURUGBURU were in the devilish scheme, as Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi never wanted any Nsukka person to be a minister of the Federal Republic while he was governor.
It all happened that, after Osita Okechukwu played those roles for Gburugburu, each time he came into Enugu, he was the guest of the Enugu State governor and was entitled to a special guest house, government SUV with driver, and government house security. These are verifiable facts.
The records of all the money that came into APC campaigns in 2015 are there for anyone who wants to peruse same. A similar allegation of non-remittance of any money for the governorship and house of assembly elections cropped up in 2019. This is verifiable too.
By 2014 Ideke was the pillar on which APC was built. Ideke, and to a lesser extent Chief Onyemuche Nnamani, financed the founding of APC in Enugu State. While the campaigns were on, Gburugburu employed one Barrister Charlie Ugwu from Igugu who arranged Osita Okechukwu, Charlie's bossom friend from Eke in Udi LGA, who though was in APC worked for PDP throughout the elections and against APC.
The only money that came for the flagoff of the presidential campaign was controlled by Dr Chris Ngige -- he issued the official ratio for distribution. It was strictly adhered to. Ideke and Onyemuche Nnamani went to Old English Hotel, Awka, to get this from Ngige. You can verify. Rochas Okorocha gave all the 35 candidates of APC in Enugu N50m and the same sharing formula given by Ngige was strictly adhered to. You can also verify, because Ideke ensured that every person signed up for his/her cash or written cheque. A seasoned civil service expert understood the need to keep records. The records are still available even today. No other money was sent to the candidates of APC during the campaigns.
If anyone says that any money was sent through Okey Ezea, let the person say who sent that money and through which bank, and was it cash or cheque? Who was the owner of the money? The money for the flagoff came from Rotimi Amaechi. So, let those who claim that N450m was given to Ideke say from where or whom the money came.
During the presidential election -- on the eve, Friday evening -- Ideke, Ben Nwoye ( state chairman), national officer Emma Eneukwu and Onyemuche Nnamani were asked to go to Access Bank, Okpara Avenue, Enugu, to collect N277m from Bukola Saraki. The money was collected and, in the presence of all the stakeholders, it was shared among the three zones for onward division among the LGAs. That was the only money that came into Enugu for the elections. Not even one kobo was sent to Enugu for the governorship and house of assembly elections. Not one kobo!
Ideke (Okey Ezea) has been a dogged fighter for the Nsukka cause. His business name, Ideke Shipping Line Ltd, was so named because he breathes and thinks Nsukka every day. He has given to or found jobs for hundreds of Nsukka sons and daughters even while he is in private business. As a senator, he will do much more. Unlike his opponent Gburugburu of the PDP, who spent 12years in the House of Reps without attracting any job or development project or initiating any bill!
Nsukka would do well to give Ideke 100% support in the February 25, 2023, senatorial election. Ideke of Labour Party will be a breath of fresh air for the long neglected and oppressed Enugu North senatorial district.
_*-- Cyril Ujam*_ November 28, 2022