The emotional and skewed lamentations, complaints and outbursts of Mr. Ikem Okuhu in his recent article posted on his Facebook page titled: "Mbah, Ossai, Ozioko: Three Peas In The PDP Intimidation Pod in Enugu is very laughable, baseless and self-indicting.
It is a clear case of guilty conscience that fears all accusations and afraid of facing the inevitable wrath of law.
Okuhu in his usual circumlocutry and verbose writing ended up saying nothing meaningful to buttress his unverifiable claim and allegation of intimidations of Bar. Ifeanyi Ogenyi by the duo of Enugu PDP deputy governorship candidate, Bar. Ifeanyi Ossai and and Enugu governorship candidate of PDP, Bar. Peter Mbah for peddling a calumnious and defamatory video titled "Ego Ndi Enugu.
Okuhu knows that ignorance is no excuse in law. Besides the onus lies on he who alleges to substantiate with incontrovertible evidences. On the other hand, the law is no respecter of anyone.
Luckily, Bar. Ogenyi is a lawyer. He ought to have known the laws and consequences of any action contrary to it. Bar. Ogenyi does not need Okuhu to speak for him unless, he knows he has ran foul of the law in a desperate bid to please his paymaster and benefactor, Bar. Chijioke Edeoga and now wants Okuhu to whip up sentiments and blackmail the complainants.
Assuming without conceding, there is nothing wrong, intimidating and unlawful if Bar. Ifeanyi Ogenyi was picked or invited by security agents acting on petition written against him for being the source of sharing and peddling of the fabricated "Ego Ndi Enugu video targeted at smearing and tarnishing the image and personality of the PDP governorship candidate in Enugu and the Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle Oil And Gas Ltd, Bar. Peter Mbah in the name of emotional and sectional partisan politics and campaign of calumny that had become the stock-in-trade of the Nsukka labourers that are supporting and pushing for Bar. Chijioke Edeoga's governorship ambition on Labour Party platform.
The responsibility lies on Bar. Ogenyi to substantiate the source and veracity of the allegations in the malicious video he peddled with overwhelming evidences. Anything short of that will land him in jail because he is not above the law and has no immunity from prosecution. Besides, Nigeria is not a banana republic or lawless country.
Even if the security agents have acted or are acting on the basis of petitions written against Bar. Ogenyi by Bar. Mbah and Ossai's lawyers as the case maybe, there is nothing intimidating about it, rather due process is being followed. The duo of Bar. Mbah and Bar. Ossai deserve commendations for following due process and not condemnations as espoused by Okuhu in his article.
Bar. Ogenyi, his sponsors and fabricators of the smear video should be ready and in position to defend and stand for him with evidences that will free him. Nothing less is expected from them, unless they want Bar. Ogenyi to go in for it.
That some persons have not been arrested and prosecuted for fabricating and peddling falsehoods and lies against people on social media platforms before now does not mean that the habit is lawful and constitutional. There is always a first time. Bar. Ogenyi's case will be a case study. Whichever way it goes will enrich the country's jurisprudence and promote democracy.
Just as Okuhu acknowledged in his article that he knew that there are Cybercrime Acts, Bar. Ogenyi cannot say that he is not aware of such laws and the consequences of flouting them under any guise. Okuhu, Bar. Ogenyi and his cohorts should have known that there is no way the laws could be trampled upon or subsumed under morality.
Law is law and morality is morality. In this situation, what is at stake is law, because someone's hard earned image is being impugned before the public with the concocted video targeted at painting him in a bad light. There is a limit to campaign of calumny and political desperation in quest for political power.
The video in question is a pure libel that must be substantiated by the fabricators and purveyors of which Bar. Ogenyi is alleged to be one of them. The false alarm raised by Okuhu in his article will not save Bar. Ogenyi from the long arm of the law. Bar. Ogenyi knows this and should not be pretentious about it.
The ball is in Bar. Ogenyi's court to prove beyond reasonable doubt as contained in the controversial and insidious video he alleged to have peddled that Pinnacle Oil and Gas Ltd was financed with funds stolen from Enugu State Treasury.
Meanwhile nothing stops Okuhu, his Nsukka labourers and cohorts from arresting and prosecuting anyone found wanting of fabricating and peddling libelous articles and videos against them. The essence of law is for sanity and order in the society.
On Okuhu's allegation of intimidation and harrassment of people by the Nsukka LGA Chairman Bar. Walter Ozioko, the onus lies on Okuhu to provide the people with those harrassed and intimidated by Ozioko. It is not enough to call dog a bad name in order to hang it. Bar. Ozioko is a lawyer, who paid his dues in practice in Lagos before joining politics. He knows the law and his limits as Chairman.
I know that Okuhu is from Nsukka LGA just like Bar. Ozioko. Since joining the Nsukka labourers after not being reappointed by the PDP- led government in Enugu State, Okuhu has been belabouring in vain to run the Enugu State government and PDP down on social media platforms, the only avenue he and his co-travellers have to ventilate their angers and frustrations, knowing full that they are not on ground politically anywhere in the state.
PDP is grounded in Enugu State. PDP is Enugu and Enugu is PDP. The social media noisy Nsukka labourers are not operating at par with PDP in Enugu State.
They are harbingers of fake and malicious articles and fabricated videos. They have no manifesto or work plan for Ndi Enugu. They are not contenders, but pretenders, who are out to play spoilers' game that is not forthcoming.
On Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi's membership of G-5 Governors and the 2023 Presidency, Okuhu is a political neophyte to dictate or decide for the Governor on where to pitch tenth or criticise his moves so far. What does Okuhu know about politics apart from social media rantings and pontifications that do not translate to election victory or political breakthroughs.
Governor Ugwuanyi is a great politician with versatility and deep knowledge of the country's political turf and its intrigues cum outcome.
