By Anselm Ojezua

Going through the Vanguard publication of Friday the 18th of December I came across a piece credited to one Jimmy Elekuku dedicated to Chief Tom Ikimi.

When I read the piece I came to a number of conclusions. Firstly was that the writer was either a ghost or an unknown quantity hired by political patrons to do a smear job on Chief Tom Ikimi; next was that the man did not know Chief Ikimi at all; and lastly, that the man was either patently ignorant of the issues he tried to discuss or he was deliberately mischievous in distorting the facts about them.

He tried to portray Chief Tom Ikimi as a failed, opportunistic politician who has resorted to attacking his political opponents to whom he attributes his frustrations. Ikimi a failed politician? It may serve a useful purpose to whisper into the ear of Jimmy Elekuku, assuming that is his real name, and wake him from his pathetic ignorance, that Chief Ikimi is the Chairman of the South-South geo-political zone of the Action Congress and that is no failed position in our national polity.

And what about allegations of opportunisms? Chief Ikimi is a man of strong convictions who does not retreat in the face of intimidation or risk. He was one of many prominent Nigerian politicians deregistered from the PDP by General Olusegun Obasanjo in a process midwifed by the party’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih. All existing opposition parties of note had been infected by divisional viruses injected by Obasanjo and his agents. Some people even got killed by ‘armed robbers’. All these were done in readiness for the actualization of the self succession plan.

Chief Tom Ikimi did not buckle under the pressure to acquiesce. On the contrary, he visualized that it had become imperative for a totally new party to be formed, to regroup the progressive forces so dislodged. It was he who, together with Chief Ayo Opadokun, facilitated the registration of the Action Congress in 2006.
Soon thereafter, he led the party to victory in the 2007 general elections in Edo State, which mandate was so shamelessly stolen by INEC for the benefit of the Chief Tony Anenih_led PDP.

The records show that prior to that election, Chief Ikimi did not lose any election in Igueben his home LGA. He previously led the APP to victory in Egor, Akoko Edo and Igueben LGAs during the 1999 General Elections, which was commonly perceived as more credible than the national disgrace perpetrated by Professor Iwu in 2007 to which
Elekuku tried unsuccessfully to accord a garb of integrity.
Chief Ikimi’s non-opportunistic achievements should be seen against a backdrop that he was the lone notable leader in Edo State who stood resolute and upstanding against the combined forces of other notable leaders in the state such as Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia and Chief Tony Anenih as well as a host of others who had joined forces with the PDP, which was the party generally believed to be favoured by the government of the day.

As a matter of fact, Chief Ikimi only adjusted to the PDP when Chief Tony Anenih led his colleagues, including the State Governor, to beg him to do so in the interest of our dear State; and when he did so, the votes from Igueben under his leadership salvaged the PDP from certain defeat in the 2003 elections to the Federal House of Representatives for the Irrua/Ekpoma/Igueben Federal Constituency.

In any case, Jimmy Elekuku cannot pretend not to be aware that since the infamous declaration of victory for the PDP by INEC in 2007 not less than seven seats have been restored to the Action Congress.  Yes, not only was the Governorship correctly and justly restored to the Action Congress but the State House of Assembly is also gradually being reconfigured to reflect the true wishes of the Edo people with the Action Congress likely to control the majority that it deserves.

These mandates were retrieved after very grueling and torturous legal battles. This could only have been achieved by the strength of character, tenacity, perseverance, commitment and conviction demonstrated by Chief Tom Ikimi as leader of the Party and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole the Governorship candidate of the Party determinedly working closely together.

Having retrieved the stolen mandate, Chief Ikimi and his colleagues in the Action Congress are proceeding to fashion out a new and responsible leadership that can lead our State to meaningful development through participatory democratic processes.

This, of course, has been to the chagrin and obvious frustration of the cannibalistic elements in PDP who have now resorted to a smear campaign in a grim plot to assuage their bruised ego. They should learn to accept defeat and offer constructive opposition in a healthy democratic atmosphere which the Action Congress offers in Edo State .

Elekuku attempted to rewrite Chief Ikimi’s political history in a distorted and most derogatory manner. Thankfully Chief Ikimi needs no introduction to Nigeria and Nigerians. He is a Papal Knight of the Roman Catholic Church and one of Nigeria ’s foremost Architects being a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Architects. His works are visible across the national and international landscapes notable amongst which is the OAU Headquarters in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia .

On the political front he has served as the National Chairman of the National Republican Congress for two very memorable and eventful years in the annals of Nigeria ’s political history. By the way the NRC produced 16 out the 30 State Governors at the material time under the distinguished leadership of Chief Tom Ikimi. He later served as Political Adviser and subsequently as Foreign Minister in the Administration of General Sanni Abacha.

At all times Chief Ikimi has been known to have very high moral and professional standards which he has brought to bear on his politics and which men of lesser qualities will naturally allude to as pride and arrogance. I have worked with Chief Tom Ikimi over the years and I can testify that I have found him to be a very fair, just, humane but firm leader constant in his beliefs and principles.

Abacha’s regime sprang up at a very crucial point in Nigeria’s political history and I dare say that apart from Chief Tom Ikimi a cross section of very prominent Nigerian political leaders like Chief Lateef Jakande, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Chief Solomon Lar, Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Chief Olu Onagoruwa, Chief Jim Nwobodo, our own Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia and even Chief Abiola’s running mate in the ill_fated June 12th election,
Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe also served during those turbulent years.
As a matter of fact the foremost leader of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih was known to have ran a number of errands under Chief Ikimi’s supervision during the same period. It is therefore unfair to pick out Chief Ikimi for denigration when in fact virtually everybody was involved at the time.

Elekuku went further to ‘reveal’ that Chief Ikimi’s name was contained in a list submitted to General Olusegun Obasanjo by the World Bank as one of those with ill-gotten wealth in foreign accounts. I do not know the veracity or otherwise of this claim but I find it very difficult to believe; firstly, because Chief Ikimi did not hold any portfolio to which such huge sums were exposed. Secondly and more importantly, such is Obasanjo’s wicked obsession to wreak vengeance as is now widely known, I do not see that he would have let a golden opportunity pass him by to either prosecute or even persecute Ikimi, a man for whom he came to bear hatred. With the alleged ‘conclusive and documentary’ evidence available to the former President, he would have summoned his hatchet man Nuhu Ribadu to do his master’s bidding. One can only conclude that he could not do so because the evidence simply did not exist.

My advice to Jimmy Elekuku, whoever he is, and his sponsors is that they are treading on dangerous grounds which can only lead to self destruction and immolation. I hope they are prepared to go the extra mile should they choose to ignore this piece of advice and the call for public accountability inevitably descends on them.

*Ojezua works with the Post Primary Education Board, Benin City.