Condemnation has trailed the outburst of an aide to Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, against Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo.
In a so-called Open Letter to the Anambra State Governor last week, Mr Tony Ezeimo, recently appointed Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President, ridiculed the performance of the Governor.
Ezeimo’s letter, published on Facebook and other social media, projected Soludo’s government as a failure in uncouth language and rude manners.
The development has prompted concern about the writer’s low understanding of inter governmental relations as well as his suitability for a meaningful role in the Senate President’s office.
“The letter was a misadventure that embarrassed the Senate President’s office,” said Hon John Idike, former member, Imo State House of Assembly. “By virtue of his employment, the fellow had no business writing to the Governor. He can only write a private letter to the Governor as long as he’s on that job. I think he wanted to seek attention but I’m afraid he only succeeded in wearing badge of notoriety. And he has brought the nation’s third highest public office to disrepute.”
A community leader in Agulu, Anambra State, Ichie Maduka Okoye, regretted the insolent tone of Ezeimo’s writing. “We’re Ndi Igbo and respect for elders is still very much cherished in our society. And this young man deliberately decided to abuse the Governor old enough to be his father. Imagine querying Soludo if his son in the UK would be proud of what Anambra State is today. That’s sadism and insult rolled into one” Okoye fumed.
Others like Cynthia Nkemdi lamented the serial misinformation in the epistle. Nkemdi, a doctoral student at Enugu State University of Technology, said the submissions in the open letter were at odds with the reality on ground. “I’m from Anambra and I know that many sectors have been positively impacted in the last two years. It’s obvious the guy was playing partisan politics. But at what cost? I understand he’s a staff of the Senate President. He has done much harm to the clout of that office.”