By Ifeanyi Maduako
Of all the scientific and technological inventions of mankind, breathing air or life into any inanimate object is what man is yet to achieve, and will never achieve till the end of this world. Mankind is yet to create even the tiniest ant with blood flowing in it.
It, therefore, reminds mankind of his limitations and the omnipotence and omniscience of the creator. Woe unto that man/woman who sheds blood that he cannot create. The sacredness and sanctity of life makes it imperative that the worst sin or crime any human being can commit on earth is shedding of blood created by God.
The joy or satisfaction those who shed blood derive from doing so is fleeting and ephemeral while the pain they inflict on the relatives of the victims is permanent or eternal. The euphoria of the assassin is effervescent because another human being may still constitute an obstacle to him/her for which purpose he/she eliminated the former obstacle which he supposedly constituted.
The panacea for ameliorating life’s problems is not by eliminating a fellow human who you assume to be the obstacle because millions of other human beings may still constitute worse obstacles to you for which you had erroneously thought was solved by eliminating one human being.
It is only a compound fool that thinks that there is no recompense for every action of mankind here on earth. If you didn’t bring yourself to the world, you should equally know that you will return somewhere someday. It is foolish talk for any man to think that man returns to the dust just like that once after death without any repercussions for his deeds here on earth.
A wise man should harbor the thought that the present mankind on earth may have existed in another spiritual realm before birthing to the planet earth. Every living thing that has blood in it continues the supernatural journey after transition from earth, even animals.
The mystery of the world and human existence is so deep that man should live with all soberness on earth. No man is immune from sin but shedding of blood through assassination or armed robbery should be avoided at all costs by any human being because the owner of the blood truly exists.
Against this background, the gruesome assassination of Alhaji Ahmed Gulak on Sunday morning, 30th May, this year by sons- of- the- gun on the soil of Imo State was utterly sordid and reprehensible. Alhaji Gulak contested election in his native Adamawa State House of Assembly, and subsequently became the Speaker. He was not assassinated. He had contested for governorship of his state. He was not assassinated. He became the Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan. He was not assassinated.
By art of providence and stroke of fate, he was made the chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primaries for Imo State in 2018. It could have been any other APC Chieftain.
He had the perspicacity to know that it was wrong for a father-in-law to hand over the mantle of governorship to his son-in-law in Imo State with over five million people. He knew that it was wrong morally and spiritually for a man to rule a state for eight years, and desperately sought to impose his son-in-law on his people against their wish.
After the APC governorship primaries in the State, here are some of the comments of the late Gulak.
“I did not go to Imo State with an agenda. My only agenda was for the party to be given back to the people by conducting a transparent and free primary. I refused to accept an agenda that was put to me.
Immediately we landed at the airport where the problem started. They wanted to kidnap every member and only God knows where they wanted to take us to of which I refused. I will not be cajoled into doing what is not right. “Every stakeholder must be involved.”
The results I submitted were not fake and cannot be fake. The announcement could not be made in Owerri, because the governor was looking for me. The party did not toe the line of the governor or to satisfy his wishes. Some of my members disappeared and were taken to Government House. I did not want to say these things but the time will come when the truth will be told.
“I did not appoint myself, I was appointed by the NWC to supervise the governorship primary election in Imo and I conducted and collated the results. It is left for the party to do what they want with the results I submitted.
I refused the private jet and even the tempting offer made to me, very tempting, we are talking about two million dollars here which I refused. Although I tried to persuade them that I was going to do what is needful, free and fair primary. I have a name to protect.” He declared.
From the above excerpts, Gulak had a human conscience. Even Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu who comfortably controls the politics of Lagos State, had never had such an inordinate ambition or greed to impose his close relatives on Lagos State.
In the history of Nigeria, the only political kingmaker who made his biological son governor was, late Dr. Olusola Saraki. He made his son, Bukola Saraki, the governor of Kwara State.
However, that was after he had made so many other people governors and his action was somewhat justified and understandable.
But, in Imo State, we had a situation where an outgoing governor wanted to impose his son-in-law in such a way that his daughter would take over the office of the first lady from her biological mother. For him, Imo State was his fiefdom. He wanted to impose a monarchical system of government on Imolites instead of democracy.
Of course, God used the likes of Senator Hope Uzodimma, Adams Oshiomhole and late Gulak to stop such a move.
If Senator Uzodimma had remained in People’s Democratic Party (PDP), if Oshiomhole was not the national chairman of APC at the time, and if Ahmed Gulak was not the chairman of Imo APC gubernatorial primaries, Rochas Okorocha may have had his way. And the rest would have become history.
The late Gulak was said to have visited the state as part of the Senate Constitutional Amendment Committee delegation. He was not in Imo State to collect his “share” from Governor Uzodimma as political opponents, purveyors of fake news and haters of Governor Uzodimma would want the world to believe. He didn’t need to visit Imo to collect any “share” if there was anything like that. The governor is usually frequent in Abuja, so Gulak could have collected his “share” from him at Abuja, if there was anything like that.
Further, the governor couldn’t have masterminded his gruesome murder to stop him from collecting his “share” or exposing how he rigged the primaries in his favour. I do not know much about Governor Uzodimma, but throughout his eight years as a Senator, nobody could link him with any political assassination of any sort.
Of what purpose or political mileage would the governor gain from assassinating a man who contributed his quota in his becoming the governor of Imo State? Senator Uzodimma is already the governor of Imo State, so what obstacle did late Gulak pose to him?
Even if there was financial or pecuniary agreement between them prior to the APC primary election, what could late Gulak have done to the Governor who is already on the seat even if the governor breached the agreement?
Since Gulak reportedly rejected two million dollars from the former governor to pervert justice as concerned the APC primary election, could Senator Uzodimma have offered a higher bribe to him being a “mere” Senator who depended solely on constituency allowance?
I do not believe that the Governor had a hand in his killing as wildly insinuated or virally speculated in the social media. A good politician doesn’t waste his utility men because he could need their services tomorrow.
Gulak lived and died so that Imo State might be saved. It is an irony that his precious blood was spilled on the soil of Imo State. May God comfort his family who will forever remember Imo State unfortunately as where their husband, father or relative was slain. May his soul rest in peace.
Maduako, writes from Owerri (08061562735)
