Mbakwe Remains the Best

Have you seen one of the reasons I have refused to return from Brazil even after the injustice ridden world cup that was staged to rob Africa by the world football governing body called FEVER.

How can a Nigerian be comparing the current Emperor of Imo State with Sam Onunaka Mbakwe who governed the State in the second republic?

Sam Mbakwe did not have the recording of jumping from one party to another. Mbakwe maintained his ideology even when he became the only surviving governor of the NPP after Jim Nwobodo was robbed the ruling party in the 1983 general election. Sam Mbakwe, even he was referred to as the weeping governor, did not seek any unholy merger to remain in power. As a child, I knew when the Aba roads were constructed by the Mbakwe-led State government in the former Imo State. When we say former Imo State, we are talking about the present Imo, Abia and a good part of Ebonyi State. Mbakwe's influence covered all these places. How can one compare Mbakwe with anybody in the State house today?

The factors that worked for Mbakwe, among other things include:
-Sam Mbakwe was a Colonel of the Biafran Army. As a result, he understood the plight of the common Igboman in the Nigerian Society.

-Sam Mbakwe was a trained lawyer that defended the Igbos when their properties were declared abandoned by the government. Some these properties were taken over by fellow Nigerians in Port Harcourt and Lagos.

-Sam Mbakwe maintained his loyalty to the Nigerian People's Party led by the Zik of Africa. In the second republic, NPP was believed to be an Igbo party. Lest I forget, even Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was rejected by Ndi Igbo as a result of contesting under the platform of the NPN which was the ruling party.

-Sam Mbakwe was fair to all. He maintained his closeness to the people till he died. As a result, any candidate supported by Mbakwe made it in the whole of the former Imo State.

This has reminded me of a popular song the women used to sing for him:

Onwa e onwa di mma agbawala n'Imo
Mbakwe e okoro dimma achiwakwala Imo.

Recently, I traveled to the Eastern Nigeria and was invited to a function where this song was sung for one political leader, I shook my head. Though I did not say anything but I knew deep down in my mind that the women were wrong. Hence, anybody committing this blunder should make a correction.