“ABACHA UMUNZE, MKPONANI UMUDIM NNEWI,” By Okelo Madukaife

Charles Chukwuma Soludo, a 62-year- old professor of economics who rode on many plus and minus factors to ascend to the position of Governor-Elect on November 9,2021 finally took his Oath of office today March 17,2022 to become the sixth elected governor of Anambra State.

Between these two remarkable dates, Soludo, a native of Isuofia in Aguata Local Government Area of the state had been a serial newsmaker given his installmental illustration of what he would do and what he would not.

Some of them were reflective of policy continuation and others were not, leading to managed incidences of controversy between the latest governor and his immediate predescessor.

Hide as though they may, Soludo’s insistence on a low-key swearing in ceremony against a flamboyant one originally planned for him was an open secret.

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Willie Obiano his predescessor and beneficiary simply organised another event in his new Convention Centre to offer awards to over 500 persons, effectively breaking the farewell ceremonies into two, one to suit his flamboyance and the other Soludo’s spartan specification.

Soludo did not attend.

Damage control translated to quickly knocking togther a photo session the next day in which the then Governor Elect handed a document containing the reports of a vision committee he was to end long ago to Obiano. What for, one may ask? To chew, digest in days and issue a white paper in a few days.

Back to swearing it is not immediately clear who ought to decide the shade and shape of the ceremonies in which a new governor should be sworn in. Some say it is the outgoing because the new one is yet to take his oath and some insist that the tenure of the outgoing ends on March 16. Who is right? Matter for another day!

Anyway, it came to pass that the ceremonies took place, not in Alex Ekwueme Square, not in the new Conference Centre, but in front of the temporary Government House that Obiano spent a cumulative of 50 percent his tenure.

Swear the professor did and just in the interceding quiet moment of signing the oath something unpleasant that would later seize the airwaves happened.

It was as if the elegant woman with an eye for senatotial seat in Abuja who happened to have acted like the governor before today saw the new governors’s speech in advance.

‘The refreshment you will be served today is _abacha_ from Umunze, Ukwa from _Isuofia, and Anambra rice. The _nkwuenu_you will drink is from Awgbu, the _ngwo_ you will be served is from Awa from Awa,a d the stout and malt drinks yoi will drink are from Onicha ….” to the loud ovasion of his audience.

One Anambra delicacy or another had come from an Anambra town.

But those are refreshments.

What he did not remember to add was that when power changes hand in Anambra State canons (mkponani) go off to let the world and the spirits know.

Those omissions were made up for him by but the canons that came in human hands straight from the Garden of Eden.

Those hot slaps between Chief Mrs. Ebelecukwu and Bianca, widow of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu,who has been having a running battle with the Obianos since losing a Senatorial ticket to represent the party in 2018 against 2019 elections.

Whatever the rest of the details, Mrs Obiano left her location to go to the sitting position of Mrs Odumegwu-Ojukwu, next to Gov. Peter Obi. Bad words ensued and the slaps brewed faster than Heroes beer, too fast even for security agencies. .

For a moment those silent signatures did not matter more than the noisy cacophony in the statebox.

God! Who checked the heart beats in the first second in a state where corpses have been turned upside down and persons killed in recent past.

One commentator said he heard the sound of the slap delivered by one Chief Mrs to another in exchange for verbal assault in Ninth Mile Corner, Ngwo,Enugwu State.

It has to be Mkponani (canon) then, and it had to come from Umudim Nnewi to get that far.

Oh yes, _mkponani_ is Anambra- made like Innosons car and Abacha from Umunze. If men were God, the speech writer would have known.

Thank God, the dust of the ‘gunpowder’ and heavy sound literally settled and cleared soon enough for the
brand new governor to speak:

Anambra will have to be secured. I thought Obiano said he touched a dream by delivering the safest state. No matter!

An executive order shoots out today to stop all revenue contracts on internally generated revenues, and cut short-circuit persons delivering government funds into private pockets,pending one month of review. Anyone who asks for money on behalf of government in the review period is a thief.

Ndi Anambra, get ready to pay tax.

I have paid N10m in tax in 2021. The man riding Ukwuato (The Governor spoke in Yoruba) pays nearly N90,000 in a month and the woman who sells pepper pays at N200 per diem, N50,000 per month. What about you the shop owner, lawyer, medical doctor etc?

Over 50 heads may have turned to each other. Common do not observe every number. 50 guests ,so what? Yes, you!

That speech must have lasted longer that 20 minutes, the total time outlay for the event.

Who care? Yes I do. First impressions are important. When you say it, mean, act it and live it.

And where there are factors to interfere with your total control, please shut up and talk little.

Obviously Soludo did not have total control of who could come in. He could not have had an orientation of protocol officers before now. He could not have done the protocol duties himself or check who treated who nicely yesterday. Otherwise how did someone choose the climax of a solemn occasion to engineer Anambra-made mkponani slaps on him?

And – wait a second- Who deceived who in thinking that a swearing-in ceremony is an APGA affair, not a public one, if attending such ought to be an issue on account of speeches made in time past?

Do you blame anyone? Events such as this happen without invitation of opposition parties. Yet, Hon. Justice Onochie Anyachebelu, Chief Justice of Anambra State and Gov. Peter Obi are not APGA members to limit the example.

But beyond the guest scope- creep and the time-bounce, Media houses screamed ‘censorship’.

Those who could cover the ceremonies were being hand-picked on account of scale.

Five? We first heard five media houses. Who counted finally? Did these restrictions influence the accuracy in reporting the good, the bad and the ugly of that event?

Is it out of trend? Not exactly so The number and timing of coverage for the APGA party primaries that threw Soludo up as APGA governorship candidate was also regulated.

At least here is an area of congruence with the last epoch.

But one thing many did not hear was a statement of what was being handed over. I hope that institutional memory will not wane when what is purely public being, handled privately now, bursts into the public domain with strings of alleged revisionism.

Anyway Charles Chukwuma Soludo has entered his office, and just like he thought in error that he could limit to fifty guests and 20 minutes time, I can bet you that his first task may neither be Okpoko in Onicha, nor reviewing the exaggerated oil-producing status of Anambra State.

Instead I see Soludo being called to King Solomon’s test of wisdom, in-between two women,with APGA as the baby.

Talk of the unexpected!

Thats what the leadership of Anambra State or even political leadership throws at all men or women for that matter in the helm of afairs.

And it is delicate if you ask me because crimes were committed in public view by two senior female APGA members. Beyond that if the Internet burst of odium does not accrue to the state and raise new challenges for what decorum should mean to aspiring political office holders, then we cannot be ready to get serious

And how this is handled determines what can happen to non-APGA members in similar circumstances, in future and then the pool of orderliness to herald the lofty goals in that speech overtaken.

Agha isi nabo you would say in Igbo to meam a battle on two fronts.

Welcome to a new world, Charlie Nwa Mgbafo.

Your time starts counting now.

▪︎ Madukaife is Anambra State Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC).