... Hon Dennis Agbo wears a coat of dishonour_
... speaks from both sides of the mouth
The above piece authored by Kachifoo Nwobodo does not really call for a rejoinder, but for the piece being centred on the opinion of a man that can be best described in the political circles as a Political forest without trees. He is Mr Dennis Agbo, who Udenu/ Igbo Eze North Constituency was unfortunate to have represented them in House of Representatives between 2015-2019.
Dennis, who dubbed himself as Mr Integrity happened unto the political stage of Enugu State on the wings of the then Governor Sullivan Chime appointing him into Enugu State Executive Council on the false assumption that he would be an asset to government.
The wind that blew open the anus of the fowl came during the second term of the Governor when Enugu State House of Assembly after thorough background check of his many claims found out that he was just a simple cocky braggart brandishing none-existent achievements in the private sector. He was promptly not cleared but escaped the hammer based on the cold relationship he had developed between Senator Ayogu Eze and Sullivan. A replacement, no matter how irrelevant was in Sullivan's calculation better than Ayogu Eze. The calculation was to displace Ayogu as Senator by fielding Dennis for House of Representatives. That way, Sullivan expected to put paid to Ayogu's towering political presence.
To give vent to this, Prof. Willy Ugwuanyi another Sen Ayogu's anointed Commissioner was dropped during screening.
Dennis was to find himself in the House of Representatives not on the plank of his having the sagacity or political arithmetics to represent the good people of the Constituency, but merely because of political expediency.
In the wake of the campaign, he enthused boastfully that his representation was only going to recognize first class graduates, a baseless and ridiculous statement that earned him enough bashings and opprobrium, and very fittingly because he was insensitive to the sensibilities of those who were not privileged to have any formal education of learning and who constituted the majority of the electorate. He was only saved the axe because PDP was a popular party and the man who contested against him under APGA was only popular on social media.
Representing Udenu / Igbo Eze North demands more than being elected. It comes with knowing the people at a closer level to really understand what they wanted. Dennis was too aloof and disconnected from the people, leading a sort of elitist life. Little wonder his people named him Uriri Nwagbo, Uriri is a land squirrel reputed to be full of cunning traits, selfishness and always likes to walk alone. Red and Grey squirrels are solitary for the majority of their lives, maintaining distinct territories and chasing off other animals that invade their interpersonal spaces. Impliedly, Uriri was a fitting moniker for Dennis Agbo and which aptly captures his personality till date. It then follows that in politics, one cannot walk alone. He was cut off from his people and in the end, he left nothing to show for his four years and was shoved aside in the primary election of 2019 and again in 2022 by Chief Simon Atigwe, a man who had over the years shown himself as a man of the people, a good man and a goal driven politician.
Having laid this background for an understanding of the personality who is attacking Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in the name of playing politics it is important to dig into the double manifestation of Mr Dennis Agbo. Between 2015 to 2019, he was full of praises, pouring encomium on Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Those days, the Governor was messianic and an epitome of genuine and excellent governance and public leadership. Across Igbo Eze North stood at conspicuous sites billboards sponsored by Dennis Agbo all projecting the Governor as a profound and consummate Leader.
Using his dedicated Social Media handle, Facebook precisely, Dennis Agbo had been in the vanguard of leading supportive and promotional campaigns for Governor Ugwuanyi, and by extension admitting before the world that the Governor is the best thing that happened to Enugu State.
Celebrating Governor Ugwuanyi, Dennis Agbo through his Facebook page on March 20, 2018 had this to say, "The Governor of Enugu State Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, a game-changer, an admirable Politician, an influential political leader who commands an 'occultic' followership amongst the people Enugu. An anointed Leader chosen by God, a thoroughbred, extremely simplistic yet overtly charismatic with an electoral magic. His life bears eloquent testimony to God's extra-ordinary capacity to make kings despite all odds. Gburugburu is a bastion of inspiration, a man of great political depth and insight, a leader of leaders and a prolific master of the political game".
He went further to describe Ugwuanyi in another related post thus, " Governor Ugwuanyi is an achiever, a leader who concerns himself with meeting the people's needs in infrastructures and lofty programmes. He has redefined development in the state and we must always appreciate him".
It is then mind boggling and nauseous for a man who only yesterday was falling over himself to extol the Governor to turn around and describe his years as locust years. It is a typical example of dirty politics played by men with zero integrity. And amusingly, Dennis Agbo lays claims to being Mr Integrity. One is constrained to ask: What is Integrity? An Oxford Dictionary definition renders integrity as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Given this definition, it is safe to conclude that Dennis Agbo has no moral right to lay claim to anything close to Integrity. I draw this conclusion because the Bible in deepening the spiritual essence of Integrity posed us questions in James 3:10–12 asking, "From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water". Summed up, a man of Integrity cannot in all honesty be one of double tongue. Dennis Agbo is a man of double tongue for severally extolling the virtues of Governor Ugwuanyi's governance and leadership achievements and turning back to describe his administration as wasted years of locusts, adding that he spent "eight years" of two terms deceiving and manipulating the citizens of Enugu State without leaving any landmark projects in a bid to single-handedly reshape the voting pattern in the state"
What a man? What an absurdity? What a wanton foolery? Well some politicians have this tendency of not being able to manage defeat or loss of prime place in the polity. This must be the case of Dennis Agbo having been roundly defeated twice in party primaries in a bid to return to the House of Representatives and already feeling the heat of being trounced by Engr Simon Atigwe in the forthcoming National Assembly election.
He noted, however, that the governor would face a resounding defeat, as the people of Enugu North senatorial district would not reward a man who deceived them for so long with a senatorial seat.
If not frustration and suffering from post partum electoral losses, how would Dennis Agbo ignobly say that "Ugwuanyi is from Udenu, which is the smallest local government in Nsukka or Enugu North, but he allocated the Senate, deputy governorship and speaker of the state House of Assembly positions to Udenu". Let me ask, " is there any place in our statute book where being a minority disqualifies any community from aspiring to political power? Igbo people have been agitating being cut off from the national political space over the years simply because of being a minority ethnic race among the trio that make up Nigeria. Dennis Agbo is from Uda, a minority in Umunano political conclave but that was no limitation against his journey to the House of Representatives. And this is not to talk of juxtaposed against Umuozzi which commands a higher political strength. So what is he blabbing about?
To put matters in proper perspective and deny him his futile attempt to mislead people in his cunning manner, Governor Ugwuanyi's ambition to the Senate is not an usurpation by any standards. If anyone is an usurper Dennis should be the one. His brother Arch Inno Agbo is still smarting from the betrayal he suffered in the hand of Dennis. Both are not in speaking terms. Enugu North Zone stand on a tripod Viz: Nsukka/Igbo Eze South, Udenu / Igbo Eze North and of course Igbo Etiti / Uzo Uwani. These three have no agreement written or otherwise on rotation of the Senatorial Seat. By divine Providence the three constituencies have produced a Senator each. None can lay claims to being cheated. Of Nsukka / Igbo Eze South, Chief Fidelis Okoro was a Senator and had taken three straight turns without anyone rising against that while others had just two turns each. Would it find justification for Nsukka/ Igbo Eze South with three straight turns to return to the Senate to have a go again while others waited? In Dennis Agbo's uncreative mind, it is all logical for Nsukka/ Igbo Eze South to take the turn. And all these point to his lack of Integrity.
Joining Ike Ekweremadu's camp, Dennis Agbo had argued that since the three zones in Enugu State had taken a turn each at the Governorship seat, that it was only all seemingly permissible for Ike Ekweremadu to run and start a new turn of rotation. By that choice, he stood against Enugu East Zone which took the first turn from having a return to the seat. This being the case, can any one find any excuse for Dennis Agbo and his Labour party disgruntled politicians to argue that Governor Ugwuanyi should have conceded the seat to Nsukka/ Igbo Eze South? Haba Mr Integrity!.
Dennis Agbo is a true case of a political neophyte and a mishap. If not, how did he come to the conclusion that House of Assembly Speaker has been zoned to Udenu Local Government Area and that Hon Solomon Izuchukwu Onah has been pencilled for such a position? What fraudulent manipulator of peoples' mind? But no one but his irredeemable followers will believe him. Yes, Solomon Onah will definitely win his election to the House of Assembly based on his track record and wide acceptability across Udenu but to contemplate that he is going to be the Speaker is to take ignorance beyond acceptable limits.
The position of Speaker Enugu State House of Assembly is not zoned to Enugu North Senatorial Zone. Judging by the past, the position is zoned to Enugu West Senatorial Zone. With Governor in Enugu East Zone, the two other positions are shared between the remaining two zones. Enugu North has the Deputy Governorship position and it is only natural that the Speakership goes to Enugu West and there is no denying this living fact. So who is Dennis and his co-travelers attempting to fool?
In advancing his witchcraft, he took a baseless run at Udenu Politics to discuss what does not concern him. Or how does who becomes the Chairman and Deputy of Udenu Local Government Council concern him? Has any person from Udenu complained to him that the persons given the positions he mentioned do not merit or qualify for the positions?
But lest we forget, while in the House of Representatives, Dennis was asked to nominate the Secretary to the Caretaker Committee of Igbo Eze North and he nominated his Nephew Prince Emeka Eyah. Emeka is the first son of Dennis Agbo's Sister. Prince Emeka is eminently qualified to hold any position regardless being a relation of Dennis Agbo just as those he is wasting his time talking about are fit and qualifed regardless sharing relationship with Governor Ugwuanyi. It would have mattered if they were not politicians who have right to aspire to any position. But like I had already stated, Dennis Agbo has no integrity because he speaks from both sides of his mouth.
Extending conversation on irrelevant things, Hon Dennis Agbo, and he is truly an honourable man, went on to claim that "the only positions available to Nsukka in the incoming dispensation are for the Senate and deputy governor and that Governor Ugwuanyi allocated the two positions to himself and his brother, even when he will be coming out as governor". Let me ask: does Hon Dennis really know the meaning of brother? Incase he does not know and I agree he doesn't, the Collins Dictionary defines a "brother as a male offspring having both parents in common with another offspring". So who is the brother to Governor Ugwuanyi who is running as Deputy Governorship candidate of any political party? Anyone who has his ear should hasten to advice him to stop flaunting his graduated ignorance in public arena as it erodes the remnant of his personality.
Rather than taking the blame for being aloof, lousy and lacking political sagacity required to understand political arithmetics, he launched out to attack the Governor claiming that "Igboeze North where he comes from has 20 wards but have 256 polling units, but Udenu with 10 wards has 252". He went on to accuse the Governor of manipulating the figures with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. This is a clear cut case of a man who lacks the know- how of politics. Let it be put on records that Governor Ugwuanyi was not yet the number one citizen of Enugu State when Udenu local Government became the collation centre of the Constituency. Dennis and his cohorts should go to the drawing board to know why it happened. As a free course lesson, let me add, delimitation of wards and constituencies Viz a vis creation of polling units have nothing to do with population strength but the number of registered voters. In simple arithmetics, a local Government with a population head count of 3m people may become a minority while one with a population head count of 2million may end up as majority if during voters registration the former registered on only 1million people while the later registered 1.5million people. What it means is that total voters registration strength determines the allocation of polling units and not population head count. So blaming Udenu for having more registered voters is shifting the blame from his doorstep to another person. Can Hon Dennis tell the world where he was and what he did during the recent voters registration exercise? Hasn't he been roaming the wilderness like the typical Uriri he is while other serious politicians led the charge for mass registration of their people?
Going berserk, he had gone ahead to claim that "Ugwuanyi spent 12 years in the House of Representatives without doing much for his people, arguing that "the projects he completed in four years in the House of Representatives cannot be equated to what he did in 12 years". Well, it is commonplace for one to mark his on script and earn for himself 100% mark but truth is, Governor Ugwuanyi's era cannot be compared with that of Dennis Agbo. Or how do we compare what does not exist with what is existing? Much as I know, Dennis Agbo made no mark in the House of Representatives to be discussed. He was so abysmal that he lost the ticket to return to the House of Representatives to a more robust politician in the person of Engr Atigwe Simon.
In the voice of a drowning man needing self humouring, he concluded that "Nsukka people will not allow Ugwuanyi. Chijioke Edeoga will win the governorship election in Enugu State; Peter Obi will win the presidency on February 25, 2023; and all Labour Party candidates will win their elections. But Ugwuanyi and co-travellers will lose woefully." Honestly, a man drowning will always find a way to find strength. That's the opium of the opposition party members in Enugu State. They smoke and inhale it and get intoxicated.
Hoping to ride on the wings of the goodwill of Peter Obi is politics of hope. But hope has never been a political strategy. It is a fleeting illusion. Let's take this to the Banks. Chijioke Edeoga will be trounced by Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah. Hon Dennis Agbo will be so diminished by Engr Simon Atigwe that his small size will become even smaller while Governor Ugwuanyi's tsunami will break Okey Ezeah into fragments.
I rest my Case
Onyekachi C Ugwu
