Ogona Anita
If you recalled, OUK’s case had been on since 2007. After 10 years, it was clear the case was not going anywhere. The EFCC had no evidence to convict. They were finding it difficult. And unlike Chimaroke Nnamani or Lucky Igbenedion, OUK refused to make any deal or to bribe EFCC guys because be believed he did not commit any crime and he stubbornly insisted he would not pay a dime. Even when he was asked to pay 200 million bribe for the charges to be dropped. Any trial lawyer will know that after ten years of no progress, it was virtually impossible to convict OUK. With what evidence? With which witnesses? OUK was confident that the law was on his side, and rightly so. What OUK did not realize then was how manipulable our justice system is and how corruptible some of our judicial officers are. So, to have a criminal case pending against you, even without evidence, is a dangerous thing. Your enemies can just visit the judge one night and you’re in prison the next day.
In 2018, APC had seriously began to consider zoning the presidency to the south east. There were several reasons why that made a lot of sense. And the highest ranking active APC politician from the south east then was OUK. He had a lot of support and personal friends in the North. Many influential Northerners saw him as an Igbo man they could trust to pursue truly Nigerian agenda, if elected the president. OUK believes in one Nigeria. But there are two other qualities he has that are unquestionable. He is a proud Igbo man. Second, he is a devoted Christian (Catholic) who doesn’t miss his morning mass if there is a church nearby. (While in prison, OUK maintained his morning devotions in the prison chapel everyday without an exception).
He has been turbaned in more than 30 Emirates in the North. OUK’s grandmother is a Yoruba. Many non-Igbos do not trust the Igbos. There is this morbid fear that if you allowed an Igbo man to become a president of Nigeria, he would secede and form Biafra or try to avenge for the perceived injustice against the Igbos. The rise of IPOB and how popular it became in the east worsened that fear. So, others could not trust the Igbos for presidency. Yet, some serious non-Igbo power brokers were eager to give an Igbo man a chance. The elements that were open to an Igbo president found in OUK a perfect balance – an Igbo man that does not scare the North. So, there was an internal division in APC – those ready to break the jinx and go for Igbo presidency versus those who for various reasons still did not want the presidency zoned to the east.
For those elements that did not want it zoned to east, their strongest argument was that APC did not have Igbo politicians with gravitas. To strengthen that argument, they connived with a judge that had no jurisdiction to imprison OUK. That was how and why OUK was suddenly found guilty and sentenced. From day one, I knew the judgment would be set aside on appeal. In fact, everybody including the judge knew that. However, they did not expect that to happen so quickly. Apart from getting OUK out of the way, the plan was to take over SLOK, his group of companies and thus render him unable to exert any further influence in politics. It was a well planned move. Even if you look at the judgment, you will understand the goal. SLOK had assets in excess of 7 billion. So, there was no need for the court to order that SLOK be taken over by EFCC. Just ask SLOK to pay the 7 billion. But the goal was to comprehensively deconstruct OUK.
But OUK fought like a lion from inside prison. It was an honor for me to be with him in that period and in that fight.
His imprisonment was an internal APC operation to weaken and derail the push for zoning the presidency to the south east. It was a political hatchet job.
It is just tragic that many people, especially some angry and emotional Igbo youths, who have no idea in which direction River Nigeria is flowing do not understand the game. Out of ignorance, they attack their heroes and embrace their opponents.
By Emeka Ugwuonye
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