BY: Sam. Onwuemeodo.
Born on July 15, 1967, Hon. Jones Onyereri was elected into the House of Representatives in 2011, on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP . He was re-elected in 2015.
He was the Chairman, House Committee on Banking and Currency. A juicy Committee. Grade-A Committee. That is to say, Hon. Onyereri had been in the House of Representatives for eight years.
He was also the pdp candidate for Orlu Senatorial zone in 2019. He lost in the main election. Otu obula isiri leeya anya, Chineke anyi diri Jones Onyerieri nma. No matter the way you look at it or the angle you view the whole thing, God has been so good or very benevolent to the Nkwerre born politician. This is my opinion.
He also emerged the candidate of the PDP for Orlu Zone or lmo West Senatorial District for the 2023 election. Those who ran the primary against him, felt, they were shortchanged. They felt unsatisfied with the conduct of the primary and its outcome. Jerry Alagbaoso and ThankGod Ezeani. Two political heavyweights. They went to court as responsible citizens to seek redress. They refused to take the laws into their hands. So, they didn’t commit any crime.
These two men could not have also been seen as pushovers. They’re very strong contenders. Ezeani was in the House of Representatives. An astute politician, who has been in the picture. Alagbaoso is a ranking member of the House of Representatives, with no mean pedigree. He has the muscle.
At the High court, Jones won and celebrated. ln some cases, l witnessed some of his handlers trying to use his victory to ” finger print” on his contenders.
At the Appeal Court, Jones won again. Those who went to court, lost. He also celebrated.
When he won at the High court and Appeal Court respectively, nobody remembered or mentioned those who made him to win and made his contenders to lose. They saw the whole outings as judicial pronouncements. As verdicts of the Courts, with no buts.
Perhaps, that might be the reason, certain things were taken for granted. There was no concerted effort to engage the aggrieved contenders to soft pedal, at least, in the over all interest of the party, in Orlu Zone.
At the Supreme Court, Jones lost. His supporters began to remember or imagine those who influenced the judgement against him. They failed to see the judgement ,the way they had seen those of High and Appeal Courts, respectively. As Judicial pronouncements. They began to mention some names as those who made him to lose . l do not understand.
Who knows, if the pdp elders in Orlu Zone who have now showed solidarity to Onyereri after the damage had been done, had done the expected after the High court or Appeal Court judgement, the Supreme Court judgement would have, perhaps, been nipped in the bud . They appeared to be waiting for him to lose at the Supreme Court before showing solidarity. That’s not good.
l had, before now, averred that, the contest for Orlu Zone Senate seat is an interesting one. Very exciting because of the calibre of the candidates . l would want Osita lzunaso of APC, Charles Ahize of Labour Party and Jones Onyereri of the PDP to be on the ballot paper. That would be titillating . And let Orlu zone people make their choice .That would be the most impressive thing to be hold or to wish .
l am happy that, Onyereri has gone back to the apex court for the review of its judgement against him. And it is my earnest prayer that the review would end in praise. End in his favour for the PDP to participate in the Orlu Zone Senate election.
The question also remains, didn’t his lawyers know that the conduct of the primary outside Orlu Zone was a judicial issue ?. Or, could be an issue in Court?. Didn’t they also know that, since the law is made for man and not man for the law, the party’s primary was conducted in Owerri, instead of Orlu because of the disturbing Security challenges in the area ?
lf his lawyers had known all these, did they strongly make the Supreme Court justices to take ” Judicial notice” of such issues? . l put “judicial notice” in quote, because l am not a lawyer. l may not know the appropriate words or phrase for what l wanted to say.
lf his lawyers didn’t strongly talk about the reason or reasons that warranted the primary being conducted outside Orlu Zone, then, they must have had their reason for allowing that lacuna. For filling that legal gap.
lf we include the dead, Emeka Echeruo and lnnocent Nwoga should hold the franchise of lmo PDP. But if we limit ourselves to the living, while allowing the dead to bury themselves, then, Achike Udenwa should be in possession of the pdp franchise in lmo .He represents the spirit of the party in the State.
lf Udenwa didn’t win the governorship election of 1999 on the ticket of the PDP, perhaps, the story of the party would have been different in lmo. In all these, did Onyereri approach him for intervention at least, at the kindergarten stage of the matter?. l do not believe that Udenwa and indeed other leaders in the zone, would appeal to those in court to “down tool” and they would say no. l would like to be contradicted.
lt doesn’t matter, does not help matters . Don’t mind them, is the language of adventurers. Not the language of those who want to win or overcome. Good politicians, if you ask me, are those who would always stoop so low, to triumph. To be victorious. To win. Those who do not have this virtue, always hit the rock either in the short run or in the long run. Afterall, the end justifies the means.
God has been very lenient or wonderful to Onyereri in his politics. He should also find out whether he has gotten to the level God wants him to get in his politics. This may sound strange. ln every venture when you get to the level God has set for you, you can’t help the situation. The person may not know. And nothing would make the person to go beyond that level God has approved for him or her . Don’t believe me. But it is true. ln every human endeavour, there is God drawn line or mark you must stop. You can’t help it. When you get to that level, it is not also hereditary. You can’t also pass it to your children. And even when you do, they would mess it up until they get back to the level God has willed or designed for each of them. And not the one you imagined or created for them. Don’t believe me, but it is true.
Hon. Onyereri should also look backward and see whether he had wronged or tricked or robbed anyone in his politics. Whether he had taken what belonged to someone else in his politics. Rewards for our wrong actions and inactions come in different ways. That time , you may not know that you’re reaping what you had sown. Hence, whatever you do in words and in action, do it to the Glory of God.
How was the primary that produced him, conducted?. Was it free and fair?. Was it transparent? . l am only being inquisitive here , perhaps, unnecessarily. But may God judge me with what l write.
The most irritating story in all these, being that of Emeka lhedioha influencing the Supreme Court judgement against Onyereri. The same lhedioha, who, even as a sitting Governor, could not influence the same Court’s judgement that removed him as lmo Governor.
Even at that, if Hon. Onyereri had known that lhedioha had overnight, gotten the power or what it takes to influence the Supreme Court judgement either ways , why didn’t he do the expected? Why did he wait until the judgement was delivered?. l am only trying to show the impossibility of that claim.
The truth of the matter is that, Hon. Onyereri took certain things for granted. He must have listened to some, it doesn’t matter voices. To hell with them voices. And the bubble had burst.
It is my wish and prayer that, the review he had applied for, would end in his favour. Let the Supreme Court consider the review application and restore his candidacy so that he can take part in the election. He must have also learnt certain lessons. The voices one hears when confronted with certain situations determine how far the person would go, either in the positive or in the negative.
With the development now, it’s no longer Onyereri’s case. lt’s now PDP’s matter. They should all go for gold .The leaders should now be more united than before. They must bring everybody together. They must leave no stone unturned. Congratulation is better than sorry. l am of that opinion.
Brethren, we shall continue to clap for Jesus#
