by Obidike Nwagwu Esq
When news platforms reported a few days ago, that the former governor of Imo State, and Senator representing Orlu zone, Senator Rochas Okorocha, was crying out to whoever would listen to him, that Senator Hope Uzodinma was disobeying a court ruling served on him, to stop action against Okororcha, and was planning to commence demolition of Okororcha’s property.
It is interesting to recall that the eight years of Rochas Okorocha, as governor of Imo State, was characterised by a total disregard of judicial rulings and injunctions.
One the court ruling or order wasn’t in favour him, Okorocha disobeyed and disregarded it, and went on to do what he wanted.
It was the case with the Ikedi Ohakim 10,000 jobs graduates, who obtained a ruling that was in their favour, but against Rochas Okorocha.
Okorocha refused to obey the ruling, and further frustrated the young men and women, until their leader was killed under questionable circumstances in 2015, leading to the death of their suit.
It was the same, with the Local Government Chairmen and Councillors from the Ikedi Ohakim era, who also won case after case, against Okororcha, but he refused to acknowledge those rulings, and even went on with his own Local government election.
His former ally, who supported him to remove Ohakim, Captain Iheanacho, was not spared, despite obtaining a court order, to save part of his property from demolition, Okorocha would disregard the order, and even personally supervised the demolition.
It was the same case with Eke Ukwu, where a court injunction, barred Okorocha from demolishing Eke Ukwu market.
Okorocha would go against that order, and storm th place with thugs and police, who shot indiscriminately, killing young Somtochukwu in the process, as well as destroying billions of naira of good and property of Imo people..
The cases are almost endless. Even violating the traditional stools in the state, with the sack of Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, and disregarding a court ruling that dismissed the sack.
Okororcha even went against his immediate past predecessor, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim, refusing to pay former governor’s entitlements, until Ohakim used a court ruling to bypass him and get his money directly from the banks holding Imo funds.
While Okororcha is lamenting the harassment meted out to him, for breaking into a property seized by the government, he forgot that he harassed former Senator representing Owerri zone, Senator Chris Anyanwu, an encounter that led to bodily harm to her driver.
Clearly, whatever Uzodinma is doing to Okororcha, he got from Okororcha’s playbook. Okororcha laid the grounds for his woos today. If he had adhered to court rulings when he was governor, Uzodinma may have learnt to respect them in his case, but now, even Imo people seem to support Uzodinma’s disregard of judicial rulings, as far as Okororcha is concerned.
Surprisingly, Rochas Okorocha while granting an interview recently, would remember that power was transient, and would warn Uzodinma of that, even though it was something he totally forgot, when he was in charge of Imo State.
Okororcha’s ordeals today, should serve as a lesson for serving and aspiring leaders, to remind them that they are not above the law, and that power changes hands in a twinkle of an eye.
Okororcha ruled Imo for eight years with an iron hand. He was Lord and Master, he was the law. Whatever he wanted, he did. Whatever land he wanted, he took. Probably to remain the permanent lord of the land, he tried to install his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu.
Uzodinma has taken over, and it’s time Okororcha learnt to bow to authority, as he demanded it, when he held that same power.
