By Magnus Obiwuba
Collins Ughalaa, the former Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the former Governor Ikedi Ohakim, is at it again. He has started blackmailing a government he is pretending to support. He has recently been working very hard, and desperately too, even at the detriment of the honour of his former boss, to convince the Imo Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, that his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr. Oguwuike Nwachuku, does not have what it takes to be retained in that office.
It had been thought that he was carrying out the bidding of former Governor Ikedi Ohakim until Team Ohakim came out to announce that he had been dismissed given his odorous activities in the camp.
Ughalaa who has in the past heard in some quarters openly condemning Uzodinma’s CPS for lack of capacity has been applying both brute and uncouth strategies in the pursuit of his duluded ambition of taking over from Nwachuku.
Nwachuku, incidentally, has not been in friendly relationship with the Commissioner for Information, Chief Decland Emelumba; Ughalaa’s Orlu kinsman.
Ughalaa, an accidental journalist who came into the recognition of few through the magnanimity of Facebook was recommended to the former governor Ikedi Ohakim prior to preparations for the 2019 Governorship Election in Imo State to serve as his image maker. As hungry as he was looking before this offer, Ughalaa did not fail in his greed mentality, as immediately as he assumed that position as Ohakim’s CPS, reports of embezzlement of monies meant for journalists started filtering in. He was said to have become a huge burden to the former governor that those working in that campaign team continued to prevail on the former governor to keep managing him.
Immediately the elections were over and Ohakim lost to the Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, Ughalaa quickly started singing praises for Ihedioha and his new administration even when his principal was yet to resolve to align with Ihedioha. He sang and sang until his kinsman, the Deputy Governor to Ihedioha, Engr. Gerald Irona, approved him as the Media Officer to the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC). It was in this Commission that he once again showed his greed by criminally formulating claims running into tens of millions of Naira; part of what he used in buying for himself a new Highlander Toyota car.
It was also alleged that some of the millions he made claims for were at a stage denied him by the ISOPADEC’s management under the Ihedioha administration because he could not provide convincing evidence to what extent the monies were for. This he kept chasing until that government was toppled through the Supreme Court coup against Ndimo in 2020.
Information available shows that Collins Ughalaa is still pursuing this payment, and had approached so many people in the Sen. Hope Uzodinma’s government to help him get the money, including his kinsman, Chief Emelumba who then promised him of help only on the condition that he would take up a media campaign against Chief Emeka Ihedioha and the PDP. He also assured him of recommending him to Sen. Hope Uzodinma as a replacement to the CPS; an offer Ughalaa quickly fell for.
To fully assure him of his sincerity, Emelumba first recruited Ughalaa into the editorial team of the Imo State-owned newspaper called the Statesman where he has been going through rehabilitation.
Collins in desperation is said to have approached his former principal, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim, through some friends to Ohakim to help him get appointment as the CPS to Uzodinma. Ohakim on his part, is also said to be unhappy with Ughalaa, and has been avoiding him ever since.
Not very sure of getting his dreams materialize through Ohakim, Ughalaa’s only hope lies in doing the dirty jobs Emelumba asked him to do, which is KEEP ATTACKING IHEDIOHA.
It’s obvious that Gov. Emeka Ihedioha is the main cause of sleeplessness ( _echeta a muru anya_) of the Uzodinma regime. He is so the only reason scheming and counter scheming against one another among the Governor’s many clueless aides, including the very desperate Collins Ughalaa.