It is worrisome seeing a personality likes Dr. Tom Ohikere, former Commissioner for Information in Alhaji Ibrahim Idris administration who had castigated and condemned the ignominious administration of Yahaya Bello to have suddenly become a ‘man Friday’ to the government he had so much vilified.
Ohikere, unarguably, is a man of intellectual prowess with profound understanding of political chess game who had at various times tried to bring to bear some progressive ideologies. Though, his political ideology has nonetheless met stiff resistance particularly the governor Yahaya Bello led administration, Bello was so brutal on him that he has to leave the state.
Thugs on the payroll of the Governor in the guise of political aides were to unleash terror on him for daring the administration and for three years, he was nowhere to be found.
Within the period, the former Commissioner who was brought to limelight by the former Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris administration would lament how Bello’s administration was a failure and a fatality to power shift agenda of the Ebira nation.
Without recourse to consistency which is a fundamental element of integrity,  Ohikere is today praising Governor Yahaya Bello to high heavens for payment of five months salary arrears. To a man who was a Commissioner with academic ascendancy, is payment of workers’ salary arrears an achievement in his least imagination?  Ohikere’s sudden ‘double dealing’ is not only hypocritical, but a disappointment to his fans.
Suffice it to say, Yahaya Bello performed in barely four years, would he have encountered the public opium as it is now? In 2015, when Dr. Ohikere defected to the former ACN and met late Abubakar Audu, what was the rationale? Obviously, Audu’s performance in office hypnotised the likes of Ohikere and others somewhere at the time. Ohikere as Commissioner for Information (as he then was) went places mobilizing journalists to cover commissioning of projects by his principal, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris. Is it the same scenario under Bello administration?
If Ohikere’s macabre dance was to make him no longer enemy of the state because of his vulnerability to thuggery attacks, it is understood, but, to say,  “Alhaji Yahaya Bello will return in second term having reconciled with party elders, particularly that he has cleared salary arrears of five months is falsehood.  Certainly, nothing has changed from Bello been on his way out!
Ohikere’s ‘double speaking’,  and ‘double dealing’ at this critical time manifestly showed him a tribal irredentist who has suddenly forgotten that he rode to political stardom on the magnanimity of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris who is an Igala man.
Of what essence would someone become ethnocentric in lending support in the obvious fiasco of an administration like what we are having now in Kogi State under Bello?
I challenge Ohikere to show to the whole world his best bet on how and manner that Yahaya Bello would return the second time in the next election. His support for Bello is not only belated, but offensive to the gods of Ebira land for disappointing a people that are highly respected.
– Atek’ojo Samson Usman is the Director of Media and Publicity, APC Justice Forum/Buhari Support groups
To be continued.