Prof Uche Ikonne


By Tony Icheku

The ruling PDP  in Abia State, can no longer deny the split in their once thick-as-thieves congregation. It brings to mind Yeats poem,  The Second Coming:

"Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world ....."

The centre is not holding in the PDP, not since Professor Uche Ikonne emerged as the 'annointed one', and the Deputy Governor, Hon Ude Oko Chukwu decided to run his own race: Like the Tinubu v Osibanjo saga playing out over APC's presidential ticket, in Abia's PDP, its Ikonne v Oko Chukwu tussling for 2023 governorship.

While some of the party chieftains have withdrawn into their shell, others like Chief Charles Ogbonnaya are fighting dirty, and threatening to splash the mud on everyone else. But  the dare-devil Abia Commissioner for Information, Mr Eze Chikamnayo is inviting him to 'bring it on'

Down in the trenches, Ikonne and Oko CHukwu's  men are lined up behind them with their gloves are off, fighting dirty,fighting bare knuckles. Daggers drawn. The outpouring of bile, the acerbic, vitriolic verbiage against one another belong to the gutter. But these decent men contend that all is fair in war

Two social media activists and friends, Messrs Uche Aguoru and Ugochukwu Nwankwo are not leaving anything to chance as they thrust deep, deadly cuts against each others candidate:

Uche Aguoru probably threw the first stone in his article: Who Is Afraid of Ikonne?

"While Prof. Ikonne continues to enjoy the support of ordinary Abians... his foray into politics seem to have caused a major cataclysm in the camp of a clan of some envious and desperate CAREER politicians, who feel threatened by Prof. Ikonne's...

"The poser begging for attention is, why are this class of desperate and self-serving politicians scared of Prof. Ikonne's inroad into politics"?

Nwankwo assumes the snide remarks were hauled at him, no at the Pro Abia North school of thought who contends that Oko Chukwu should have been a successor to Ikpeazu

His response to Aguoru on his Facebook wall was short, sharp and cruel: "If Ikpeazu Likes Let him Borrow From CBN, Ndi Abia Has Rejected Mugabe!

No Amount of Money can be used to sell this Relic, and worn out Great Grand Pa"! Of course the reactions came pouring in, for and against Ikonne 

One respondent, Okechukwu Orji raises the issue of Ikonne's competence which Aguoru had celebrated in his article. "Abia state university students will never forgive and forget the outrageous school fees and their 2020 Corona virus palliative" he wrote, referring to one of the dark spots

Another, Charles Uchenna Okorie wrote that those entrusted with Abia's destiny seems bent on dragging the State down as each successive governor always paves way for someone who can surpass his incompetence to succeed him "Do they ever bring human being,they project the worst among them to keep Abia backwards. Imagine ikpeazu with stack ineptitude nominating someone".

Nwankwo who was called out for his uncharitable words replies:"...an eye for an eye, I don't take prisoners here...for some time now I have avoided this... You must have heard that word 'Relic' recently...the Commissioner for Information, (Chikamnayo) used it to address another elder statesman, they hailed him...Karma is a bitch bro"!

An eye for an eye? Lets pray, we all do not end up blind before this is all over, but itis really heading for a bitter climax