Reactions to controversial Reverend Father, Ejike Mbaka’s prophesy on who takes over the coveted seat of Imo Government House will continue to make headlines until Supreme Court rules on the case in a few days’ time.
Reacting to the prophesy that Senator Hope Uzodimma would succeed Ihedioha after the Supreme Court verdict, a former Director Federal Mortgage Bank, Dr Godwin Duru said he does not believe that prophesies or signs and wonders have an effect on governance.
He called on IMO citizens to exercise patience and wait for the law to prevail especially now that the matter has gone through the Tribunal and Appeal Court.
“Anybody can prophesy for himself and it will work for him. And for those who want to believe in Mbaka it is left for them. If God says this is the man to rule over the state, who are we to question Him? But I think the most important thing here is that that the common enemy of the people, Uche Nwosu has been removed from the way and people should remain calm. As for me, it is not for me to start looking for signs and Wonders to know what will happen. The court is there to decide”.
Asked to assess Governor Emeka Ihedioha in the last seven months, the former Special Assistant(Political Department) in the Presidency and Special Adviser to the Abia State Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, said he cannot assess him now because all he is doing are preambles in governance.
” By the time we have next rainy season we will know whether he has performed or not. It’s too early to assess him. Any person who does that does not know governance. But by the time rainy season sets in, maybe in his eight to ninth month, we will know what to say. The whole place is dry now, so you cannot use it to assess government. He took over during rainy season and it gave him an opportunity to assess the previous government. By the time another one sets in we will know what to say,” he pointed out.
Duru, however gave the governor interim pass marks on what he would prefer to call “life saving measures” embarked upon by the governor on assumption of office such as: removing the overhead cages or irons mounted by the immediate past administration in the state. These, he said, would have been falling on people and vehicles, injuring, killing and destroying their vehicles..
“Again, there is relative peace in the state because people are watching to see what will happen. During Christmas, there was no recorded violence. I also believe he is building the institutions that were devasted by the past administration of Rochas Okorocha. No government will achieve anything without restoring those processes. Due process is alive in Ihedioha’s government. I think, he is doing the basics which is a good starting point.”
On the secretariat and stadium projects being jointly embarked upon by the state and the local governments, Dr Duru faulted it, especially the stadium project. He opined that Ihedioha should have given 70% attention to roads since the state lacks good and quality roads and look for other projects to embark on for the next four years.
“That is the way to go. When you build stadia all over and you are giving the opportunity to host the Sports Festival, which roads are you going to ply. The roads are bad and the standards are not even encouraging. So, its first things first”, he concluded.
