A former Owerri Branch Manager of a wave-making new generation bank has become a nightmare in Imo State, where he is now seen as the state’s version of MC Oluomo (real name Musiliu Akinsanya), the Lagos All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain who forbids voting for any other party during elections.
In a video clip obtained by News Express, banker-turned-politician, Deacon Chike Okafor, was seen giving instructions to his foot soldiers not to allow any other party campaign in his community, Oke na Nloho, a political ward in Obowo Local Government Area of Imo State. He has also been seen in photographs running away with ballot boxes allegedly snatched during an election.
In the video clip, Deacon Chike Okafor while celebrating the recent emergence of Governor Hope Uzodimma as APC Governorship Candidate for the November 11, 2023 election, told his foot soldiers:
“I want to thank you, and I want to say congratulations to His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Hope Onyedika Uzodimma, for emerging as the candidate of our party and we assure him of Oke na Nloho, of 15 polling units. We’ll close up everywhere.”
At this juncture, Deacon Okafor said in Igbo, “owu ununwa ka eji alu ogu; akwa otua ka odi?” roughly translating, “you are the people used for war; is it not so?” to which they answered in the affirmative in Igbo.
Continuing, Deacon Okafor, said: “We’ll give him 100 percent of our votes”, asking in Igbo, “owu ya ka owughi ya?” (“Is it so or is it not?”), with his listeners chorusing affirmatively.
He then went on, saying: “No other party is allowed to come to Oke na Nloho, no other person should campaign in Oke na Nloho for that election. I am giving it to you as an instruction and as a directive. No other party should be allowed to drop anything . . . canopy anywhere in Oke na Nloho. That is our position.”
Deacon Okafor concluded by asking in the 50 seconds video clip, “Owu ya ka owughi ya?” – that is, “Is it so or is it not?” – to which the people chorused “Owu ya!”, meaning, “It is so!”
News Express reports that Oke na Nloho comprises two communities that make up the Political Ward (Umuloho and Umuoke) and Chike Okafor, who joined politics after quitting his bank job, is from Umuoke in Oke Na Nloho Political Ward.
A former Commissioner for Finance under the immediate past Rochas Okorocha administration, Okafor was a second term House of Representatives but lost his reelection bid in 2019 to Emeka Nwajiuba, who ran on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform but later defected to APC.
Credit: NEWS EXPRESS.
