Hon. Alex Ifeanyi Ikwechegh And The Hollowness of His Logic

Hon. Ikwechegh harassing the innocent driver in the video footage

It is not quite clear when it happened, but the unmistaken episode of the unabashed demonstration of seeming power drunkenness by Hon. Alex Ifeanyi Ikwechegh, member representing Aba North/South Federal Constituency of Abia State, leaves a civilized society mourning as he boasted in the privacy of his residence to make a Nigerian citizen who ran a delivery service for him disappear without a trace.

The House of Reps member who is making double claim at being also a ‘Senator of the Federal Republic’ in a video footage posted on internet, was caught in the video footage in a wave of reckless indecorum where he characterized the police force as one institution the elite, perhaps, more specifically, the political elite can deploy on irreverent errands such as pouncing on innocent citizens and beating them up; as long as their actions satisfied their watch; the principal they were assigned to provide with protection.

Hon. Ikwechghe in an altercation with the unidentified Uber driver who was at his residence to deliver an local purchase order,  painted a picture of the Nigerian Police Force as one money bags can assign any task, including molesting citizens as long as those enjoying the police protection, such as lawmakers, are assuaged of their strange pains.

The Abia lawmaker even went as far as boasting that the Inspector General of Police is incapable of protecting the rights of the Nigerian citizens, in so far as such rights are been abused by the rich and powerful.

It would appear that the uber driver’s offence was asking the Senator, nay, Member of the House of Reps to come forward and receive what he ordered and which he was engaged by the seller to delivered to him. Ss it turned out, Hon. Ikwechegh felt insulted and set out to teach the driver ‘manners’ and how not to speak to the ‘Senator of the Federal Republic’, by not only browbeating  the delivery man; but even physically assaulting him, going by the video footage.

Hon. Ikwechegh and the cellophane bag of delivery he said he wouldn’t pay for, hanging on his chair

In the altercation, Hon. Ikwechegh is heard raving and shouting on the Uber man for daring to ask him over to approach and pick his stuff.

The response was cataclysmic as the lawmaker reacted tempestuously like an emperor. “How dare you, do you know where you are? Do you know who l am? I am a senator of the federal republic”, and proceeded to put a telephone call to the seller and demanding to know why she sent him.

“Madam who is this stupid/foolish boy that you sent to my house? How can this stupid boy tell me l am supposed to meet him by his car and pick the things that l am buying from you’

Even when the ‘madam’ attempted to placate him by explaining that the guy didn’t know who he is, he still raved: “Can you imagine this rat, l can make this man disappear in the whole of Nigeria and nothing will happen.”

While the madam was heard apologizing “sorry sir, he didn’t know who you are…”, the lawmaker turned deal ears and raked “I am not going to give this boy one naira of my money”.

At that point the uber man reminded him “you have been insulting me sir and l have been quiet”, to which he responded threateningly, “I pray that you insult me, can you please insult me? l am not going to call my policemen to beat you up, l will beat you up…

“l will show you that l am a big brother to you, l will slap the hell out of you and l will lock you up in my generator house. How dare you?”, he thundered.

Not standing down for the lawmaker’s apparent oppressive tirade, the uber man challenged him politely asking, “Why would you do that?” Again the lawmaker fell for the bait as he continued with his psychological threats, “Do you know who you’re talking to? Do you know where you are? Because you saw me sitting outside, here?”

Apparently unfazed, the uber man spoke again, “it does matter sir, pay me and let me go”.

Our Senator will not take a response from an ordinary man, so he intensified his verbal attack, “Look at this monkey o”, to which the driver responded “I don’t care what l am, pay me…”

Hon Ikwechegh took more offence and fencing the driver down in his car, demanded “Are you even looking at me and (thinking) that you can beat me?”

And at that point hit the driver. Thereafter he took few pace to drop his mobile telephone  on the seat he was apparently occupying when the driver arrived and returned to assault him some more.

And when the driver asked “are you slapping me sir?”, he ignored him, walked back to pick up the mobile phone and while tapping probably a phone number on the set, muttered, “ You see this place, you’ll suffer…l will deal with you.”

When the driver repeated his question about being slapped, Ikwechegh arrogantly replied “l just did, slap me back…” muttering repeatedly “ho w dare you, how dare you, do you know who l am?”

Evidently composed, the uber man said “that’s fine” and asked again, “did you just slap me three times sir”…apparently to catch the big man in his act, whilst he recorded him on his phone.

The Nigerian lawmaker replied, “Twice, the third one, you will soon receive it. How dare you?” and started to walk away. Insistent, the driver spoke again, still seated in his car, “l need my payment sir.”

Not turning or minding him, Ikwechegh responded defiantly, “come and collect it”, walking back to his seat. When it dawned on him that the driver had started making video telephone call telling the person on the other side “This is where l am, l just got three slap from this man here…just because l told him to come and get his stuffs and pay me my money…he is claiming that he is…”

At that point our lawmaker stood up and approached him to demonstrate he was not afraid, shouting “My name is Hon. Alex Ifeanyi Ikwechegh, l am a member of the House of Reps, tell them, l slapped you.

“Call the Inspector General of Police, call him let him come. Record me very well”, he taunted the driver.

Then he took some steps forward and then turned and walked back muttering “you came to my house to disrespect me”, and suddenly pounced on the driver in an attempt to seize the phone, shouting “Common  give me that phone”, indicating that he wasn’t as tough as he wanted to be seen given his earlier bravado.

What this conduct depicts about our national lawmakers and our politicians, and by extension our parliamentary institution can only be imagined than said. A few years ago, a senator had publicly slapped a woman to prove his power and importance, as Hon. Ikwechegh had also dared to demonstrate. Acts of this sort of hollowness in logical must be addressed if our democratic system must endure its moral authority.

The sad irony is the cheap and deficient characterization these people have succeeded too clearly to dress up our police that are supposed to be the friend of the citizens.