By Udo Akam-Alo, ABAKALIKI
The letter written by the former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim to Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi is still causing ripples in some quarters.
A former Legislator in Ebonyi State, Dr. Eni Uduma Chima, Friday, described the letter as watery, wishy-washy and unbecoming of a former Senate President of the country.
According to Eni, “Come to think of it, Anyim is not worth much politically and he’s not as dynamic as to provoke a second thought, he has just been lucky all through his political career.”
Eni’s reaction captioned “On Senator Anyim Pius Anyim: The Penny whistle who thinks himself a trumpet”, the Ex-legislator pointed out that Ebonyi people have seen the clear difference between Governor Umahi and other leaders as he (Umahi) has been able to transform Ebonyi beyond the expectations of his political opponents.
The former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim had in his letter stated that Governor Umahi was the only Governor in the country that organizes dinner on the street.
“Governor Umahi is the only governor in Nigeria that organizes dinner on the street. Since I got to know the reason behind the street dinner, I stopped attending his functions. “
Disagreeing with the Anyim, Eni who is also the Afikpo-South Council boss noted that “the simple-minded speculation that it was dinner organized at the Udensi Round-about that gave Umahi his landslide victory in 2019 to the extent that he swept the polls in the Local Government of his contender can only emanate from a weak intellect like Anyim, who does not know that success comes by hardwork in God’s grace.”
He further described Governor Umahi as a leadership model that “represents a new Ebonyi of urban renewal, urbanization of hitherto rural communities, provision of massive high quality infrastructure of roads, world class hospitals, Airport, Stadium, rural electrification, Streetlights, Agricultural Revolution, human capacity building and empowerment, and politics of essence.”
The statement read in part: “We could not believe that the watery, wishy-washy open letter circulating in the electronic and printed media actually emanated from Senator Anyim Pius Anyim though it bore his name, but for the fact that the obese Senator has failed to disclaim the thrash.
“The contents of the letter depicted a primitive mentality plagued with supersitition and a brain which has not developed beyond that of a primary school pupil, I recommend an Intelligence Quotient test for the author.
“So what will Anyim attribute the electoral success of Engr. David Nweze Umahi in 2015 to? Especially as there were no scenic fountains or ornamental lights and so no evening parties before the 2015 elections. For the records, Ebonyi people have always found time to appreciate the dots of splendor which are infrastructure built by Engr. David Umahi and on such occasions, our people are treated to feasts and gifts. This should be strange to Senator Anyim Pius Anyim who is notorious for parsimony and extreme meanness, people do not drink ordinary water on visits to Anyim’s compound.
“The kernel of Senator Anyim’s write up is that the defection of Governor Umahi to A.P.C is not necessary and will be regretted and that Anyim and his co-travellers are needed by the Umahi Administration to fine-tune and stabilise the defection to ensure that Ebonyi State in totality join the Governor.
“Nothing can be farther from the truth. Senator Anyim who was a prominent actor in the Jonathan’s administration in which the incumbent lost a re-election, could not have become effective overnight in the art of politics. Even in the 2015 Umahi campaigns, Senator Anyim, like others of his kind was merely of political decorative value and so by removing himself from the Umahi movement, nothing serious is lost.
“Come to think of it, Anyim is not worth much politically and is not as dynamic as to provoke a second thought, he has just been lucky all through his political career. He is a small fly who made incursion into politics in 1999 when high quality politicians where sceptical about the sincerity of the then Military junta ceding power to civilians and so, did not participate in the first election of the fourth Republic thereby making it possible for mediocres like Mr. Anyim to move into the Senate from Ebonyi-South.
“Senator Anyim Pius made no significant advancement on the lot of Ebonyi people as a Senator, he could not pin-point where the Ebonyi interest lay nor was he able to show understanding of the issues then, he was often literally lost on the floor of the Senate. On one occasion when he raised his hand after waking from his trademark slumber during plenary and was asked if he knew the matter under discussion, he simply grinned like a compound fool to the laughter of his colleagues.
“Senator Anyim is not built for sophisticated cogitation, that is the reason why the Late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo described him as “a hunk of beef and mass of protoplasm.” No wonder, Senator Anyim inspite of his exalted office of the Senate President could not get a second term as Senator and up till now has only one Certificate of Returns in his kitty.
“Today, he mentors other hunks of beef and fellow masses of protoplasm including the bleaching Senator Ama Nnachi who lost election in his Polling Unit by getting mere 35 votes while his opponent got 150 votes. Their unholy agenda is to denigrate and insult the God-sent Governor of Ebonyi State. In his characteristic childlike manner, Anyim made reference to oversized clothe in his stupid letter.
“I want to say that it is better to wear oversized clothe than to wear oversized body with undersized brain, one can be removed but the other cannot. Senator Anyim Pius is the only Secretary to the Government of the Federation whose Principal ever lost re-election in the annals of Nigerian political history.
“This was possible because he was always sleeping when he should be thinking and working. Julius Caesar in the choice of political foe would have preferred people of Senator Anyim’s class, hence his position: “Let me have men about me that are fat; Sleek headed men and such as sleep over nights: Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.” I make bold to say that Anyim is a sleeper and not a thinker and so does not pose any danger to anybody but himself.
“This was confirmed by Senator Adamu Mu’azu, the former National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party who chided him on 14th February, 2020, for dozing off during a solidarity visit by Ebonyi State Stakeholders upon his election. On that occasion, Mu’azu while addressing the delegation looked over to Anyim who had already dozed off and remarked “Mr. Anyim, I hope you have not started doing what you like doing best” (making the motions of a dozing person). It was the laughter from the audience which woke the burly SGF.
“It is a known fact that even as a Senator, Anyim often fell asleep on the floor of the Red Chamber, an action that prompted the Late Chuba Okadigbo, the Senate President at that time, to scold him on one occasion. Even as a Senate President, Anyim slept all through on 26th August, 2000, when President Bill Clinton of the United States addressed a joint session of the National Assembly, not even the constant rapturous applause of other legislators could wake him. Anyim equally slept through in all the 22 minutes inaugural speech of his boss, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
“Anyim has remained an embarrassment to Ebonyi State in all the political positions he has ever occupied. At first, I was wont to believe that his serial gaffe were matters of temporary hormonal malfunction in his cerebral cavity but have now confirmed that his lapses to be a pathetic case of incurable permanent genetic imbalance. We strongly advise him to retrace his steps and enjoy his political retirement in quietude. This is one fight he cannot win, for Engr. Umahi is not Dr. Egwu, that is, assuming that he even won Dr. Egwu.
‘Ebonyi people have seen the clear difference between Gov. Umahi and other leaders. Governor Umahi represents a new Ebonyi of urban renewal, urbanization of hitherto rural communities, provision of massive high quality infrastructure of roads, world class hospitals, Airport, Stadium, rural electrification, Streetlights, Agricultural Revolution, human capacity building and empowerment, and politics of essence.
“In taking the opportunity of Governor Umahi’s defection to A.P.C to separate themselves from the masses, Anyim and his cohorts only manifested a long existing discomfort of some few leaders who are jealous of the superlative achievements of the Ebonyi State Governor and who feel dwarfed by the Governor’s steady political progress in Ebonyi State, South-East region and Nigeria at large. In this separation of Anyim and cohorts from the Government and people of Ebonyi State, what Governor Umahi has lost are fats and not muscles.”
