A RESPONSE TO ONE FAKE HON. MASA CICO’S POLITICALLY-INSPIRED FICTION
By Capt. Bishop C. Johnson, US Army (Rtd.)
The attempt to twist the appointment of Her Excellency Barr. Chioma Ohakim as an Ambassador-designate into some cheap political “settlement” is nothing but a desperate act of propaganda. The truth is simple and undeniable: the appointment proves Dr. Ikedi Ohakim’s federal reach and affirms his growing relevance in both Imo and national APC affairs. If Ohakim were politically irrelevant—as his detractors loudly claim—his household would not be receiving strategic federal recognition from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Power does not reward irrelevance.
The loud attempt to interpret this appointment as a consolation prize collapses under the weight of basic logic. If anything, the calls for Ohakim’s return as Governor of Imo State in 2028 would have gone cold if such an ambassadorial slot had been given to any family member of his perceived opponents. Instead, the recognition came to the Ohakim family—signaling whose political structure is respected, whose network in Abuja remains intact, and whose name still echoes loudly in Nigeria’s corridors of power.
Reducing Barr. Chioma Ohakim—a competent professional in her own right—to a political bargaining chip is not only false but deeply insulting. Her appointment is a statement of confidence, not a payoff. It reinforces the fact that Dr. Ohakim remains a national figure, not a forgotten relic. Those pushing the opposite narrative are doing so because they can feel the political tide turning—and it terrifies them.
And if this appointment is supposedly a “settlement,” what then do these political jobbers call the earlier appointment of Adanna Steinacker, daughter of former Governor Ikedi Ohakim, as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Women’s Health? The truth is clear: these women are distinguished professionals whose appointments reflect their personal merit. Their federal recognition has absolutely no bearing on the overwhelming calls across Imo State and the diaspora for Dr. Ohakim to contest the 2027 governorship—not out of personal ambition, but as an act of patriotism, duty, and service.
If Ohakim were truly “finished,” his enemies would not be scrambling to declare his 2027 bid “dead on arrival.” Nobody wastes energy attacking a man with no chance. Their panic reveals more truth than their arguments. What we are witnessing is the fear of a leader whose credibility, administrative record, and goodwill still overshadow many of those trying to erase him.
Calling Ohakim a “failed product” is pure intellectual laziness. A failed product does not enjoy respect across successive administrations. A failed product does not retain the influence to secure strategic federal appointments. A failed product certainly does not command statewide nostalgia for stability, order, and competent governance. The reason the conversation about his return to Douglas House in 2027 remains vibrant is simple: his record stands, and it stands tall.
Imo people are not naïve. They can distinguish propaganda from reality. They know that Ohakim’s relevance is not manufactured—it is earned, rooted in performance, vision, and a statewide reputation for order and discipline. Anyone who thinks the public will abandon him simply because his wife received a national appointment fundamentally misunderstands the sophistication of Imo’s political consciousness. Imo people are proud to have one their daughters bestowed with a high national recognition.
Those peddling this “settlement” narrative are driven by fear, not insight. Fear of his rising profile. Fear of his accelerating momentum. Fear of a 2027 contest in which he remains one of the most recognisable, credible, and experienced political brands in the state. These people are terrified, and it shows.
Ikedi Ohakim is not a footnote. He is not an afterthought. No amount of noise can change the fact that his relevance is being reaffirmed—not diminished—by the very federal appointment his critics are desperately trying to weaponise.
If this is the best argument his detractors can muster, then they have already lost the debate—and they will soon lose the battle.
Capt. Bishop C. Johnson (SW/AW), U.S. Army (Rtd.)
National Defense and Military Affairs Consultant & Analyst
Political Commentator and Author of Books on Security, Politics, and Governance
