A 60-minute interaction with the media by elder statesman, politician, and art curator, Paddy Obinna, in his country home at Emekuku, Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State, was quite illuminating, incisive, and informative. The 82-year-old intellectual spoke point-blank on a wide range of issues. Obinna, who is the elder brother to Archbishop Anthony Obinna, the immediate past Archbishop of Owerri Catholic Archdiocese, offered insights on why he established the “Paddy Obinna Gallery – A Legacy Project,” the infamous political events of 2011 in Imo, and other topical issues concerning Imo politics.
MOTIVATION FOR ARTS
Ndaa Paddy Obinna, as he is commonly called among the locals, explained that he was motivated to embrace arts and its aesthetic values because of his artistic educational background. He stated that he was born an artist.
“My parents were my strong inspiration. In elementary school, we were taught handcraft and skill acquisition, including technical drawing, woodwork, and metalwork. All these inspired me to inquire further into the world of arts,” Obinna said.
He stressed that due to his unflinching love for the arts, he established the “Paddy Obinna Gallery – A Legacy Project,” adding that, “I want to live as an artist and die an artist. This art gallery project will live beyond me when I must have died. Everything about me is art because I am art. It is my source of strength. God gave me the skill. He is the master creator. He only allows me to recreate things He has already started doing.”
RELATIONSHIP WITH ARCHBISHOP A.J.V. OBINNA
“The surname Obinna that we both bear is not a coincidence,” Paddy Obinna averred. “His Grace, Archbishop Anthony J.V. Obinna, is my younger brother — same parents. We are eight in the family. I am No. 6 in the hierarchy, while he is No. 7. We are of the same stock,” the octogenarian pointed out.
ALLEGED FLOGGING OF CATHOLIC PRIEST IN 2011 IN IMO
Paddy Obinna expressed deep disgust and regret at what he described as a falsehood — an allegation he said was baseless, fabricated, and intentionally designed to run down the then-sitting governor, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim, by certain Owerri Zone political leaders.
“It is a sad story in view of the fact that I am an ‘Obinna.’ Each time this story comes up, I feel bad. We were all involved in buying into such stupidity back then,” he began.
“This is what propaganda keeps doing; it distorts stories. As a Catholic, we heard the story that a Reverend Father was beaten, and we foolishly swallowed it hook, line, and sinker without bothering to verify the facts. His Excellency, Ikedi Ohakim, was innocent and doing very well as Governor,” he stated.
Continuing, he posited that black masses and processions were held against an innocent man. More appalling, according to him, was that the Reverend Father involved, Eustace Okorie from Umudim in Ikeduru LGA of Imo State (another Owerri Zone man), was hidden from the public to avoid inquiries. “The next thing we heard was that he had been flown away to the United States of America. Another Catholic priest, Ejike Mbaka, composed a reckless song against Ohakim — an innocent man. By the time the church realized its grave error, the harm had been done not just to Ohakim alone but also to democratic governance in Imo State. Mbaka later apologized to Ohakim at his Adoration Ministry Ground, Enugu. And Archbishop Obinna, my brother, who was in charge of the Owerri Catholic Archdiocese when this wickedness and injustice were meted out to Ohakim, also gave him an award thereafter and may have apologized privately.”
DID SUCH MEASURES AMELIORATE WHAT OHAKIM SUFFERED?
“Of course not, and it never can. As a Catholic, we go for confession when we sin. There is atonement. But there is a need to let the public know this.
The Catholic Church needs to practice what it preaches. Mind you, I am a Catholic too. It is my church, but the truth must be told. That is why we are Christians. Archbishop Obinna acted on behalf of the Church then.
Meanwhile, I apologize to the world that the Obinna(s), my family, are sorry about what happened to Ohakim and democratic governance in 2011. It was very unfortunate,” Paddy Obinna stated.
THE POLITICAL COUP OF 2011 IN IMO
“Let me tell you, about 80% of Owerri Zone political leaders participated in that political coup and gang-up, which has now backfired against Owerri Zone. Emphasis should have been on fairness, equality, and justice rather than on selfish and parochial interests propelled by zonal irredentism. We tried correcting them but were insulted. Power and equity without equality is useless. Owerri Zone leaders should have first asked themselves if Ohakim was doing well or not before dabbling into reckless conspiracy theories and ill-fated gang-up against him. It was a big miscalculation by Owerri Zone leaders, and today, they are reaping whatever they sowed,” Obinna reiterated.
2027, OKIGWE ZONE AND IKEDI OHAKIM
In his candid view, Paddy Obinna was emphatic that Okigwe Zone through Ikedi Ohakim should be allowed to complete their remaining four-year tenure, pointing out, however, that he would not support any Okigwe Zone person coming to stay beyond four years in office as Governor of Imo State. “Owerri Zone must also have its turn, remember, but after Okigwe Zone,” he said.
“Equality, good conscience, and natural justice demand that Okigwe Zone deserves the 2027 governorship. Recall that there was a song back then that all areas in Imo have developed except Okigwe and Orlu. But now, Orlu has developed — ditto for Owerri — remaining only Okigwe. Is it fair? Is it just?” he asked.
He opined that “Ohakim can only stay for four years constitutionally and then hand over to Owerri Zone. Ohakim’s return will make Imo greater. Besides, he is the most experienced, fit, suitable, and has the capacity to sustain the laudable legacies of the incumbent governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, when he leaves office. He is the only person qualified and who meets the criteria for what Governor Uzodinma is seeking in a successor. He has studied Senator Uzodinma over these periods and will meticulously follow his track in addition to the experiences acquired over the years. You know that experience is the best teacher and Ohakim has it in abundance, unlike these beginners aspiring to succeed Senator Uzodinma. Imo can’t afford the risk of experimentation again to avoid destroying the commendable legacies Uzodinma will be bequeathing Imo.”
OWERRI ZONE SHOULD WAIT FOR 2031, NOT READY YET
The octogenarian made it clear that his people of Owerri Zone are not yet ready for the 2027 governorship. He attributed Owerri Zone’s unreadiness to selfishness and perennial divisions among political leaders in the zone. He stated that every hamlet in Owerri Zone wants to produce the governor every election year, arguing that such an attitude is a mark of unseriousness.
“It is no hidden fact that there are commercial politicians in Owerri Zone. Selfishness and disunity are their problems. In Owerri Zone, there are diverse political nations within it — Ngor Okpala, Mbaise, Mbaike, and Owerri Federal Constituency,” he explained.
According to him, “these individualistic blocs antagonize one another — there is unending distrust among them, while some commercialize their agitation when it mattered most. I would rather advise that we, in Owerri Zone, should wait for the 2031 governorship,” he stressed.
He stated that “within that four years, Okigwe Zone through Ohakim must have completed their remaining tenure and handed over seamlessly to us. On our part, we would have used that period to profile and assess our numerous brothers angling for the Imo governorship in order to make an informed and acceptable choice to be presented to Imo people. We in Owerri Zone must begin to tell ourselves the basic truth. Owerri Zone has a moral obligation to support Okigwe Zone in 2027 through Ohakim, who is the solution to Imo’s political zoning quagmire.”
