By Elizabeth Chukwuma
The battle for the selection of officials for the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, in Imo state, in the upcoming state Convention, which may believe will play a vital role on who emerges the party governorship Candidate in the 2023, general elections may have informed why Hope Uzondinma has intensified his media Campaign to exonerate himself from blame from the arrest of Uche Nwosu, his political rival, on Sunday, December 26, 2021.
Rochas Okorocha, father –In-Law of the embattled former governorship Candidate of the Action Alliance, AA, in 2019, general elections in the state, which produced Emeka Ihedioha, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and he Opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, as the winner but Uzodinma, the Candidate of the APC, came from behind through the Court process to claim victory, had said the governor misinformed Usman Alkali Baba, the Inspector General of Police, IGP, who gave approval to Rabiu Hussaini, the state Commissioner of Police to arrest a his son-In-Law.
The plot to arrest the Politician may have been well scrpted to ridicule him among his political associates and family members that he is a political featherweight who should not be taken seriously. He had been arrested by heavily armed policemen who had stormed St. Peter’s Anglican Church, in Eziama Obieri, his home town, in Nkwere Local government Area of Imo state with Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC, and Hilux vans. The invasion of the Church to arrest Nwosu, who had attended the service to give Thanks giving over the burial of the succesful mother with his politicial associates and family members might have thrown the worshippers into confussion as they scamper for safety.

The situation was so bad that the Worshippers may have gone into town to lay the blame on the invasion of the Church by security operatives on Uzodinma, who they believe is out to settle a political score with Senator Okorocha and his son-In-Law. The Imo state governor may have known that the invasion of the Eziama Obieri Community Sta. Anglican Church, by security Operatives may work against his re-election bid in the 2023, general election that he had risen up to exonerate himself and the government from blame. He was said to have mobilized his foot soldiers and political Associates, to go all out to counter the smearing image Campain of Okorocha, the former governor of the state, described as a political heavy weight in the sought east geopolitical region.
Declan Emelumba, the state Commissioner for Information, may have taken up the Challenge to save the governor’s Image by telling Nigerians that Uzodinma, the governor of Imo state, who had sworn in his Oath of Office to abide by the Constitution and protect the interests of citizens of the state, ‘’ will never support any act that will disrespect the Church’’.

The Commissioner had made the people of Imo state, particular, the indigines of Eziama Obieri Community, to believe that Uzodinma holds the Anglican Communion in very high esteem’’. He may have known that the security operatives invasion of a place of worship to arrest a suspect will work against the governor in future elections in the state that he had had tried to exonerate the governor and to show that he was no happy at the manner the arrest of Nwosu, Okorocha’s son-In- Law was made.
However, he had said that the governor could not have done anything to stop the security operatives from doing their work as directed by a higher Authority ‘’since it was purely a security matter’’. He may have shot himself on the leg when he said ‘’the full reason such an action was taken will eventually unfold and perhaps guide the public better’’, which may have convinced many that he knows everything about the police action.
Appealing to those who were negatively affected by the action to bear with the security agencies personnel, noting that that the state government could not have impeded their work.
The governor may have played into the hand of Eziama Oberi Worshippers as h’’, had addressed the Press in Owerri, the state Capital, barely hours after the incident , meaning that he was in touch with Hussani, the state Commissioner of Police, whose men had gone out for the St. Peter’s Anglican Church operation in Eziama Obeiri Community to effect the arrest of Nwosu, Senator Okorocha’s In-Law, who was handcuffed in the presence of his family members and political Associates.
Recall that Emelumba, the state Commissioner for Information and Uzodinma, political ally, had said that the security operatives have every right to arrest Nwosu, the former AA, governorship Candidate in the 2019, general elections, because he had ‘’run afoul of the Law’’. But could not state the nature of the ofence. Okorocha may have known that Uzodinma is doing everything to rope his son in with the January 13 attack, 2021, attack in the state, to justify the police action that he had told those that cares to listen that he is waiting on the governor ‘’to name the sponsors of the attack in the state, stressing that where he fails to do so, he should be bold enough to take responsibility for being instrumental for the attack.
Nwosu, who is the center of the crisis between Uzodinma and Okorocha, has urged the people of the Eziama Obieri and the Worshippers of St. Peters Anglican Church in the Community ‘’to remain calm and focused because God is in-charge of the whole situation’’.According to him, ‘’the act of desecrating the House of God is a direct affront and challenge to the Almighty God’’. We leave God to do his fight because vengeance is of God’’, he had said.
Although, the Imo state Police Command, had released Nwosu, who was said to have spent a night in the police custody, the family and his Lawyers are still waiting for the Police report on why the was arrested, handcuffed and detained, Nigerians are watching to see how the case will end between the duo: Uzodinma and Okorocha, described as the two political gladiators of the APC, with large following in the state.