By Bertram K Osuji
News broke a couple of days ago, of the plans of the former governor of Imo State, and Senator representing Orlu Senatorial zone, Senator Rochas Okorocha, to build an Islamic University in the village of President Muhammadu Buhari.
As petty and laughable as such a move is, it also exposes the desperation in the Ogboko born politician, that he would go down to the level of trying to “bribe” the president, so as to get soft landing, or to get support for his already failed presidential ambition.
If Okorocha understood the president very well, which obviously he doesn’t, he would have since given up on trying to please Buhari with such material things.
Rumour has it, that Buhari refused to visit the only APC state in the South East, throughout the last four years of Okorocha’s tenure, despite visiting the PDP and APGA states, after seeing the large land amassed by Okorocha for his private estate.
It could be true, as there is usually some element of truth in every rumour. It should have also passed a message, that Mr. President is obviously not so thrilled about the former governor and his style of “governance”.
Even during the 2019 election when the president finally visited Imo, Buhari came with his native Northern attire, unlike when he visited non-APC states like Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi, where he dressed like an Igbo man.
This should have told Okorocha, just how highly the president thought of him. Even his statement at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, where he urged Imo people to vote their choice, it was obvious that Buhari saw Okorocha, and his faction of the APC in Imo State, as a failure, and as such, could not back anything that came from it, including Okorocha’s son in-law.
Okorocha is currently faced with corruption probes that have so far stripped him of his illegally acquired possessions, and threatens to deny him his freedom.
Could his real reason for offering the Greek gift to Buhari, have anything to do with wanting the EFCC, and the Imo State Government, to step down their determination to strip him of everything that doesn’t rightfully belong to him?
Could he be hoping for Buhari’s support to remain relevant in the party?
Obviously, he should know that Buhari can never consider him as a worthy successor, but one thing is certain, Okorocha’s gift is fishing for soft landing from Buhari which he would never get.
He might even have attracted more distrust from Buhari, by this failed attempt to “bribe” the president, and he might soon find out that the probes and foreclosures being launched against him, has the blessings of the anti-corruption minded Buhari and no amount of Islamic university can stop it.
