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(Opinion) RE: Malachy Ochie on “RE:Crisis Rocks Enugu PDP over Plots to Impose Aspirant being Prosecuted for Multi-million naira Petrol Subsidy Fraud as Governorship Candidate”

By Nebechi Ogbaji

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In the murky waters of Nigerian politics where decency, orderliness, humanness, selflessness, sensitivity to others feelings, morality, truth and the rule of law are often ignored and deliberately substituted with Machiavelli’s amoral principles of the end justifying the means; the politics of anything goes, and is fair as long as desired result is achieved.

It is from this perspective that I want to view the writings of some writers and commentators on the current trend of politics in Nigeria, particularly in Enugu State, where wanton attacks have been directed on some personalities who have patriotically indicated and given notice of their intention to contest elections as Governor of the State.

One aspirant who has become victim of series of jaundiced, mindless and unmerited attack is Peter Mba, one of the aspirants of the office of the Governor in Enugu State.

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One of such attacks was the one unleashed by one Malachy Chuma Ochie that has been trending in the social media.  Ochei with infantile authority spewed and conjured up in his article all manner of incongruous and malodorous assumptions and baseless, groundless, unprovable and unsubstantiated allegations against Peter Mba.
At the end and very characteristic of jaundiced people in politics who see everything as yellow, he only displayed hatefulness and unmoderated desperation. The article was not only sentimental, emotional, speculative, illogical and blatantly coming from a jaundiced mind, it was perhaps done for money or other partisan interest rather than any loftier ambition of art.  If you like call it hack writing.

In his propaganda, Ochei said he was reacting to “an exclusive and explosive piece published on-line by Sahara Reporters to the effect that “there is a thickening plot to impose Mr. Peter Mba, the CEO of Pinnacle Oil and Gas Limited, who is currently being prosecuted by the EFCC over alleged illegal financial dealings and misappropriation of funds as the PDP Governorship candidate on the people of Enugu State”. Malachy Ochei is called upon to redeem his reputation by providing answers to the following pertinent questions; Who are the plotters? What are the charges against Peter and in which court is he being prosecuted?  How current is the alleged prosecution? Whose funds has he misappropriated?  These are facts that serious readers may want to know about.

Not done with his groundless allegation, Ochei now told readers that Sahara Reporters has a reputation for investigative journalism and “one would therefore assume that in publishing that piece, Sahara Reporters must have done its home work well and has merely alerted the people”.  Ochei is saying that anything that Sahara Reporters said is irrefutable the Gospel truth;  In other words  Sahara Reporters is always right.  Ochei was so sure of the accuracy of Sahara Reporters that he hatefully, libelously and incitingly called upon the people to resist what he called “barefaced political brigandage” which according to him was “master minded by Chimaroke Nnamani”.  He then denigrated and degraded Chimaroke Nnamani and hatefully, insultingly and brazenly asserted that “the name of Chimaroke Nnamani resonates in the hall of infamy in Enugu State”. One may please ask where is the location of Ochei’s imaginary hall of infamy.  Perhaps it is located in Ochei’s heart.

While we cannot join issues with him in all the things Ochei spewed on the persons of Chimaroke Nnamani, it is enough to acknowledge his strong capacity for innuendoes, farrago of lies, rumour mongering, pedestrian gossips and vituperations.

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One curios fact that is worrisome in Ochei’s treatise is his inability to differentiate between the personality of Chimaroke Nnamani and Peter Mba.  His writing implies that Peter Mba has no mind of his own. Ochei also scathingly insulted and degraded the personality of the Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, by contemplating that Peter may be imposed on the Governor under the influence of Chimaroke Nnamani.  This is another way of saying that Ugwuanyi is not independent minded and does not know what is good for a state that he had in the last seven years governed meritoriously with well horned transformative agenda.

To cut the story short, it is pertinent to refer Ochei to another Sahara Reporters publication on Peter Mba, ref.
https://saharareporters.com/2022/05/11/pdp-governorship-aspirant-peter-mbah-was-not-prosecuted-anti-graft-agency-efcc-%E2%80%93-pinnacle the on-line paper published a refutation of its earlier publication on the same matter in which it stated that the case under reference was initiated and fully struck out 10 years ago – specifically on July 31, 2012, by Hon. Justice Candide-Johnson. The report indicated that the EFCC had specifically said that at that time, “that the charges preferred against the defendants in this case were misconstrued by the prosecution and were inadvertently filed against the said defendants”. Unfortunately, a case that was dead ten years is what Ochei is flaunting as current.  But even if it is current, an accused in the Nigerian criminal law jurisprudence is innocent until proven guilty.  It is now left for Ochei to choose and pick which of the Sahara Reporters publications to adopt. He must however note that no one builds anything on nothing, otherwise it will collapse.  Consequently his treatise which only betrayed his partisan and self serving inclination cannot stand.  It may be necessary at this point to let people know a little bit about Peter Mbah.

People who know him and have encountered him are highly desirous of having him as the Governor of Enugu State knowing so well that Peter surely will spearhead genuine, responsible, responsive and meaningful governance in an atmosphere of peace, harmony and freedom. Mbah is a man of honour and scholarship, very cosmopolitan in interaction, highly philanthropic with an empathy and compassion that is borderless and boundless.  He is humility and piety personified but at the same time fearless, strong willed, imaginative and strategic. Even though integrity is a scarce resource in Nigeria at all times Mbah will pass integrity test. Peter Mbah is not a noise maker and does not flaunt his strength. He is also highly educated and attended globally acclaimed Business Schools in Barcelona, Lagos Business School, University of Oxford, Stanford Business School and Harvard Business School where he garnered array of certificates. His contributions to educational development and other Philanthropic gestures are not in the public domain because of his humble and silent nature but it is not for nothing that Peter Mbah is an awardee of a Doctorate degree Honoris Causa of the Godfrey Okoye University, Emene Enugu. Contrary to the unverified and unsubstantiated comments of some people against this dynamic young man, Enugu State will certainly witness a continuation of good governance that is inclusive, fair, regardless of faith, tribe or section any one may have come from, when Peter becomes the Governor of Enugu State.

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