Ohakim Steps aside from Active Politics

Amby Uneze in Owerri
Former Governor of Imo State, Mr. Ikedi Ohakim, yesterday in his country home, Okohia in Isiala announced his withdrawal from active politics, saying he was taking a break to venture into intellectual harvest that would be of immense benefit to humanity.

Addressing his loyalists and journalists in Okohia, Ohakim said: “I have decided to take a step backward, l am announcing my temporal withdrawal from active participation in partisan politics. l shall devote my time to mentoring/working with the youths of my home state, lmo, and indeed Nigeria, outside politics; as well as in running my non-governmental organisation, The Clean and Green Africa Foundation.”

While berating the Imo State Government, Rochas Okorocha for what he described as the degeneration of the state, he wondered why a state he left in 2011 in buoyant condition could be struggling to breath for survival.

According to him, Imo State is listed as one of the unsafe states by the United States of America; UNICEF listed Imo as one of the states where a child dies every five minutes; and where due process is not followed.

Furthermore, he said Imo State had moved from the top five states for academic excellence in WAEC to the last 10 years, a situation he said, was unacceptable.

On the reduction of working day, he added: “They want to borrow Gambia’s four day working week by using a Christian state” as a way of experimenting possible four-day a week work in order to accommodate the Muslims’ Friday prayer day as a public holiday.

The former Governor said Imo State has been mismanaged, saying “We mismanaged the oil boom of 2011 to 2014; now property prices have dropped and people are leaving Owerri in droves, you see what is happening in our politics may be punishment.”

Expressing his displeasure over the wranglings within the PDP at both the federal level and the Imo State chapter, he wondered how a party that had prided herself as the biggest in Africa could degenerate into factions where members are after their selfish gains.

He however said that in view of the circumstances, “I have come to the sad conclusion that I will no longer be able to be part of this circus in the political arena for the time being. I am, therefore, by this statement announcing my temporary withdrawal from active participation in partisan politics”.