Owerri, the Imo State capital was literally shut down on Tuesday following protests by thousands of the residents against the plot by the State House of Assembly to impeach the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere.
Indeed, the protesters marched through major streets of Owerri metropolis to register their opposition to the plot to ease out Madumere, a plot they alleged was being hatched by Governor Rochas Okorocha.
The protesters included civil servants, school children and businessmen who abandoned their vehicles and trekked the remaining distance to their destinations, as the human traffic became overwhelming.
The protesters were specifically upset by “the grave injustice against the Deputy Governor, by some members of the State House of Assembly, via trumped up charges that will ultimately lead to his impeachment”.
They took over the streets of Owerri as early as 6am, chanting protest songs.
They accused the governor masterminding what they described as “kangaroo charges” against his deputy.
They also accused the lawmakers of being “mere rubber stamp in the hands of Okorocha, who controls the House as his personal estate, without reference to the feelings and aspirations of the citizenry”.
Some of the placards carried by the protesters read: “Okorocha, leave Madumere alone”, “Okorocha must you foist your son-in-law on Imo people?”, “We are in Democracy, not in familiocracy”, “We say no to Okorocha’s third term agenda”, “APC will not accept imposition of family candidate”, “NWC rise up before we lose Imo to PDP”, “We appeal to President Buhari to intervene in Imo Situation”. One of the vocal protesters, Barr. Chidiebere Nworgu, said: “The State is sliding to a one man business, where an individual now treats Imolites with levity”. For him, this is the time to resist such undemocratic tendencies coming from Okorocha. He therefore called on the clergy and the elite to speak out against the injustice against Prince Madumere and all Imolites.
Madumere’s sin is his insistence to succeed Okorocha as governor by contesting the 2019 election, a decision the governor find offensive, preferring to hand over to his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu.
Those who know say Madumere has stood with Okorocha through thick and thin, spanning several years.
For them, it is incomprehensible that Okorocha decided to dump Madumere, a loyal political ally at the 11th honour, hence the people rose in his defence, against obvious injustice.