Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha

In this piece, GIBSON ACHONU recounts the violence that erupted at Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri, last week when politicians converged for a debate

The stage was set for the august occasion scheduled to be held on Wednesday, March 11, 2015. The venue was the Odenigbo Pavilion located inside the Maria Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri.

Enthusiastic politicians and party supporters were present in great numbers, waiting for the guests invited for the programme. Then the bubble burst.

The event was the disrupted quadrennial public political debate which started in 2007. It was organised by the Justice Development and Peace Committee under the auspices of the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri with the Archbishop, Most Rev. Anthony Obinna, in attendance.

On the fateful day, Owerri, the capital city of Imo State witnessed an upheaval which has since then generated various comments among the people of the state and even beyond. Though the people of the state are predominantly Catholics, with other Christian denominations but because politics was involved, the upheaval has continued to raise dust. Outside the church, people have described the incident as politically motivated.

The ceremony had in attendance some government officials like the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Anthony Anwukah; Imo State Chief of Staff, Sir Jude Ejiogu; Commissioner for Lands, Mr. Uche Nwosu; and the Commissioner for Information, Chief Chidi Ibe. Others were the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Edward Ihejirika; the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr. Kenneth Emelu and the Senior Special Adviser on Culture, Mr. Paddy Obinna, who is the archbishop’s relative, among other dignitaries.

The fracas broke out at about 9.03am (before the event started) when a group of women suspected to comprise widows, dressed in black stormed the arena. They started to blow whistles and flashed red cards, chanting “Ka opuo,” meaning “Go away.” “Ka opuo” is a campaign slogan against Governor Rochas Okorocha, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress. The governor recently had an altercation with some widows in the state capital recently.

They invaded the event by taking over the podium, broke chairs, overturned tables, unplugged electronic equipment and smashed the lectern even as they assaulted some priests.

Apparently infuriated by this action, a group of APC women wearing the Madonna uniform with the inscription, Catholic Women Organisation, challenged the widows and broke into “Rochas we know” chant. Tempers rose to boiling point.

Suspecting imminent crisis, the organisers, led by Reverend Father Casmir Nzeh, immediately intervened and quelled the situation, warning everybody against any attempt to use the forum for political campaign.

This intervention notwithstanding, some APC members appeared unsatisfied with the turn of events, they surged forward. They climbed the podium and invaded it, seizing the microphone and scattering the equipment set for the programme. They started pointing accusing finger at the organisers, saying that they colluded with anti-APC groups to embarrass the organisers, the governor and the party.

Appeals were made to them by the organisers but they remained unyielding as they felt that the anti-Okorocha protesters had overstepped their boundary by turning the programme into a campaign event. A number of them advanced to the podium in annoyance, threatening to break the eyeglasses of the moderator and the Master of Ceremony, who is also a priest.

The ensuing fracas worsened and guests started scampering for safety. Many scaled the fence while a number escaped through the gate.

As people were running, the desecration at the pavilion continued for more than 50 minutes. The situation continued to degenerate and the pavilion turned into a “warfront” with different chants of party slogans from pro-Peoples Democratic Party and pro-All Progressive Grand Alliance supporters.

However, despite the charged atmosphere, there was no physical clash between the groups.

The Director of Okorocha Campaign Organisation, Mr. Iheukwumere Alaribe, accused the PDP and APGA of sponsoring the violence.

A statement by an aide to Okorocha, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, denied the allegations against the state government.

The statement said the state government has no other option than to draw the “attention of the God-fearing people of the state to the unprovoked, unwarranted and unfortunate media attacks which a newspaper owned by the Owerri Catholic Archdiocese has launched against the governor and the state government for some time now.”

It said, “As a government, we have on our own tried to find out the offence of either the governor or the government of the state against the newspaper or the archdiocese or even the archbishop who is our spiritual father, so that we can ask for forgiveness, but we could not remember any.

“We only heard that the newspaper and its proprietors are supporting a governorship candidate.

“We never believed that information because our expectation has been that the church should always pray that the wish of God should prevail in the 2015 elections since we all believe that God gives power.”

However, the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, who arrived in the middle of the commotion, blamed the APC.

He said, “The APC hired thugs and invaded the place because Okorocha knew what awaited him if the debate had held. Few weeks ago, we had a public forum organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria at the Anglican Cathedral Church, Egbu. Okorocha boycotted it. Now he knows that this is a debate he must attend. In order to prevent the calamity that would have befallen him (at the debate), he has not only disrupted the programme but also desecrated the cathedral.”

The APGA governorship candidate, Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho (retd.), condemned the violence, calling it a sacrilege and a show of desperation. He pleaded with the PDP and the APC to avoid any act capable of heating up the polity in the state.

In a press statement, the organisers expressed disappointment at the incident and wondered how a non-partisan and interactive event could have suddenly turned violent.

Archbishop Obinna, who expressed shock, thanked God that no life was lost.

In a statement tagged, “Unfortunate disruption of public forum,” the archbishop said JDPC regretted the disruption and consequent cancellation of the public interactive forum between the Imo State electorate and governorship candidates in the state.

He said, “The non-partisan and faith-based organised event is the third in the series, after the 2007 and 2011 editions. With the theme, ‘Towards credible elections and respectful leadership in Imo State,’ the 2015 edition was scheduled for Wednesday, March 11 at the Obiri Odenigbo, Assumpta Cathedral premises.

“The public forum is part of the JDPC voter education for enhancing the electoral process. It is meant to offer an opportunity for Imo electorate and the governorship candidates to assemble as a family, beyond party divide, to interact on political issues in the state in view of the coming elections.”

“Thousands of Imo electorate, including special invitees like the Independent National Electoral Commission, National Orientation Agency, Conference of All Political Parties, law enforcement agencies, traditional rulers, had trooped to the arena for the forum. As the organisers were about to begin at about 9a.m, two women groups, one in black, purportedly pro-PDP and the other in a variety of attires including the CWO uniform, apparently pro-APC, were engulfed in a confrontation.

“The organisers made successful attempts to control the women and the youths of notably three of the parties, including APGA, who had eventually joined in the ensuing disturbance, chanting their pro-party or anti-party songs and slogans, some brandishing party flyers and red cards and blowing whistles. Machetes were seized from some of the thugs by security agents.

“As the organisers were trying to commence with the forum, some APC politicians invaded the rostrum complaining, accusing the organisers and demanding a stoppage of the event. They insulted the priests and other members of the organising team, and particularly the external moderator of the forum from Abuja, whose eyeglasses were snatched off him and smashed. One of the politicians physically hit the Assumpta Cathedral Administrator, Rev. Fr. G. Onyekwere, on the chest. This is tantamount to total disrespect for fellow humans and a gross desecration of the sacred venue of the forum. Regrettably, most of these assaulters consider themselves Catholics.”