Ken Nnamani’s Holier-than-thou Resignation

The decision of Senator Ken Nnamani to join the tribe of a few political spent forces in the South East who have dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the wake of its 2015 electoral misfortunes was anticipated. Whereas their leaving the party is up to them and welcome because they cannot even win councillorship election in their wards, their false claims and holier-than-thou attitude is annoying. Would they have quit if the PDP had retained power at the centre?

Interestingly, at the end of their windy sermons to justify their jump, one would have expected them to also resign from board and other juicy appointments they landed under the auspices of the PDP. Ken Nnamani resigned from PDP, but did not deem it wise to also resign his Chairmanship of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission. Both his wife and Jim Nwobodo’s wife have not also resigned as members of Enugu State University’s Governing Council. Governor ifeanyi Ugwuanyi should do the needful by relieving their wives and stooges of all the political appointments given to them by the PDP-led government in the state, because they cannot have their cake and still eat it.

Ken’s resignation is another case of opportunism. He actually dumped his original party– the All Peoples Party (APP)- after the party lost the Enugu governorship, National Assembly and presidential elections in 1998. He was APP’s senatorial candidate. But, rather than stand with the party in the time of need and help rebuild it into a strong opposition voice, he for where the pasture was greener (PDP) to become Senator in 2003; not out of any political wizardry or electoral appeal, but courtesy of the quarrel between his kinsman, Jim Nwobodo, and Jim’s political godson, Chimaroke Nnamani.

So, Ken Nnamani appears to me a master of politics of convenience and expropriation of other people’s efforts and sacrifices others.

For the prospects of a Vice Presidential ticket to IBB or any northern candidate that might emerge at the PDP National Convention, he promoted IBB as the best thing to have happened to the nation’s democracy and lampooned Goodluck Jonathan. Daily Trust newspaper of 25th October 2011 screamed “Nnamani- Jonathan Won’t Respect the Constitution”. He said so during a courtesy visit by the IBB Campaign Organisation to late Governor Patrick Yakowa.

However, once the North lost the primaries to Jonathan, Nnamani ran after Jonathan. He did not spare his erstwhile allies like Adamu Ciroma. Vanguard newspaper of 17th February 2011 screamed: “Back Jonathan or Quit PDP, Nnamani tells Ciroma, others”. Today, he dumps PDP to be beholden to the North and Buhari ahead 2019 in the event that South West and North cant work together. He is also probably scheming for the renewal of his tenure at the Infrastructure Commission, which expires next year, etc.

Nnamani’s claim that he could no longer play politics of principle in the PDP is spurious. He took public jabs at ex-governor Chime and told even the international community that Chime did not win the 2007 gubernatorial election. But he became Chime’s fanatic convert once his bread was buttered. He came hard on anyone who cautioned advised Chime against arrogating to himself the power over life and death. He even told the National Assembly Members to forget any 2015 ambition because Emperor Chime had so decreed or ther would be committing political suicide.

In the days of Chicken Impeachment, national headquarters of the PDP directed Chime to stop the embarrassment, but the likes of Nnamani goaded him on the path of error, gross indiscipline, and disrespect for party authority. Chime insisted: “I gave him the option to resign. It has actually come to a point where we need to know who actually is boss because we can no longer work together”.

Working hand-in-hand with a seemingly compromised judiciary, they used a kangaroo panel, locked out the media, turned truth upside down, convicted, and impeached an innocent man, Sunday Onyebuchi. Onyebuchi once passed out before the panel, but no pity. Ken Nnamani, the father of “integrity and politics of principle” celebrated the embarrassing impeachment.

In Vanguard newspapers interview of 22nd August 2014, Ken Nnamani boasted: “Those who advised him to fight on are the ones he should hold responsible for his impeachment because he had the opportunity of resigning, but some people encouraged him to go on and gave him lawyers. If he has now been impeached, it is unfortunate; that is what he brought on himself.... He was being unreasonably stubborn.... It is a lesson on stubbornness.”

It did not matter to Nnamani that Chime even owned a bigger poultry in the area designated as “Farm Unit” as obtainable in the Deputy Governor’s section. Chime also ran a piggery and ranch. The Chief Physician of Enugu Government House also testified during cross examination that he treated persons attacked and wounded by the aggressive ostriches and a big, brown monkey Chime kept in the Governor’s Lodge.

The 2011 to 2014 State Budgets made available by Onyebuchi to the kangaroo panel showed that the same House of Assembly, which claimed it passed a resolution against rearing chickens in residential places, made provisions for maintenance of poultry in the Government House.

It did not also matter to Nnamani that video evidence and media reports showed that Sunday Onyebuchi was at the 2nd Niger Bridge event.

Interestingly, the same Nnamani berated the House of Representatives in 2005 for suggesting former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s impeachment for allegedly, unilaterally altering the 2005 Appropriation Act. He declared in Vanguard Newspaper of 23rd May 2005: “the word impeachment is a very serious one. It’s like saying that somebody is going to die, death sentence. We don’t think people should use the word impeachment randomly”.

So, who between a President who allegedly altered an Act of the National Assembly and a Deputy Governor who allegedly reared poultry, committed an impeachable offence?

Ironically, as Onyebuchi pleaded then, his real sin was his expressed interest in the Enugu East Senatorial seat, which Chime and Nnamani had anointed Ifeoma for. But to their shame, neither Chime nor Ifeoma made it to the National Assembly. Also, an Enugu State High Court recently nullified the whole chicken impeachment, insisting that “maintaining poultry does not contravene section 188 of the Constitution” and that “The Deputy Governor is a public office, his election was also by the public, any secret trial therefore is a flagrant breach of constitutional provision for fair hearing”.

But, Senator Nnamani still needs to tell us if Onyebuchi witchhunt and various attempts to impose candidates on the Enugu PDP in 2015 was part of his idea of internal party democracy? Is it not clear that he was part of PDP’s problem?

Truly, the resignation of his likes and Jim Nwobodo will only help to entrench the needed fresh air in Enugu and South East politics. They are extreme elitist elders in their political menopause stunting the political growth of ambitious youths of the Coal City. Bereft of political ideologies and innovation, they are rather political liabilities and rentseekers. No party seriously desirerous of rebirth needs them.