RE: Python Dance: How Ikpeazu Got Things Wrong -- By @JohnOkiyiKalu

JOK

Mr Uzoukwa Ebere, permit me to point out a few things to you.

1. When President Buhari returned to the country after more than 100 days in UK Governor Ikpeazu joined others to meet and welcome him back. Could he have "gotten closer" to an absent president battling with his health?

2. For the more than 170 days in Total the President was away from Nigeria this year, there was an Acting President. That's the man you derogatorily made reference to. As an educated man, when there is an Acting President who is your Governor supposed to meet on state matters?

3. How do you know the President does not have a good and direct relationship with your Governor? Is your Governor expected to announce with billboards each time he speaks with or meets the President? Do you really believe yourself sir?

4. Yes, your Governor was away on official 2 weeks vacation when the current crises started. Even while on vacation he engaged Abians in diaspora, met with the Governor of North Carolina and visited one of the biggest Agro industries in US to further the cause of Abia State. Is that what you referred to as "spent weeks doing almost nothing"? Even for a man who was on vacation?

5. Do you know that your Governor actually cut short his vacation and returned to the state immediately to take charge once he heard of the situation?

6. If indeed your Governor does not have a relationship with those you mentioned, how on earth do you imagine he was able to get the authorities to withdraw soldiers from the streets and replace them with additional 500 policemen? Come on Mr Uzoukwa?

7. What is more proactive than declaring curfew at Aba to manage a potentially volatile situation?

8. Did you not see Abia elders and traditional rulers meeting with the Governor and the GOC of 82 Div to persuade the GOC to pull soldiers off the streets? Can it get better than that, in your views? Do you honestly believe that the COAS was not contacted by the Governor before agreements were reached?

9. Did you seriously suggest that in the heat of a massive crises your Governor should leave the state and rush to Abuja for any reason at all? Ebere Uzoukwa did you write those lines? Chai....Chineke napu Ekwensu ike.

10. You are also making same mistake most are making, in thinking that the crises we witnessed had to do with Python dance 2 that only started on Friday. Mr Uzoukwa, research more please before jumping to conclusions. Something happened and provoked the mismanaged show of force that culminated in where we saw ourselves. Find out for yourself and report back.

11. Our constitution designed things in such a way that in the absence of a Governor his Deputy should act. Did you see the press release from the Deputy Governor before the return of the Governor? If only you know how far the DGov and others went to stop the situation from escalating from the Isi gate incidence to the point the Governor came back. When tensions come down I will personally chronicle how things started and led to where we unfortunately found ourselves.

12. On Python dance and the Governor being overruled, again you got your narratives very wrong and hence reached wrong conclusions, as usual. The Governor pointed out in his press statement that he obtained the consent of the authorities to pull out soldiers from the streets, starting from the next day, to allow tensions to cool. Army authorities confirmed that and the next day soldiers started leaving the streets, except those who were at some locations even before the current crises started. Those are the people the Governor referred to in his media statement as pre-existing military checkpoints that were there to protect us against kidnappers and armed robbers.

13.  The same Governor explicitly stated, but you failed to spot it, that he will meet the President to plead that Python dance be scaled down in the state. Uzoukwa, that meeting will take place on Monday. That is tomorrow.
Since Friday the same Governor was in Enugu meeting with his colleagues and Igbo leaders to take a unified stand. He returned yesterday and will leave tomorrow to meet the President.
At no time did the Governor say he has cancelled Python dance 2 or
Obtained permission to cancel it. Only you and others know how you got that information.

14. Uzoukwa Ebere, permit me to reproduce the relevant portions of the Governor's statement to educate you.

"After several interventions, I want to inform you that by tomorrow morning, there will be withdrawal of solders from the streets at Aba and Umuahia, apart from the pre-existing military checkpoints at various location in the state.

With the expected exit of soldiers from the streets, we must warn that we will not tolerate agitators and protesters taking over the streets for any reason at all.

I will also be meeting the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Mohamaudu Buhari, to discuss possible ways of relaxing the Operation Python dance 11 in the state for now."  Governor Okezie Ikpeazu on Thursday 14/9/17

Note:
*several interventions (do you know with who and who?)
* will be meeting the president (that meeting is tomorrow)

14. My brother Ebere Uzoukwa, this is what a former Governor of Anambra state had to say about the Governor's proactiveness in managing the crises:
"I am proud of the Governor of Abia State. He acted promptly in declaring curfew" -Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife

What do you know about proactive conflict management that he does not know?

Nwannem, the time for ill informed blame game has not come yet. The situation in Abia and Igbo land remains fluid. Let's focus more on saving lives than writing grammar because of politics.

Accept my sincere respect.

John Okiyi Kalu (JOK) responded to you from the Ancient Kingdom of Abiriba where warriors are born and not made.

I personally endorse the efforts of the Governor to save lives. He is a great Governor who loves all Abians and Ndigbo.